Mixed Signals
by LadyxB
Summary: Han and Leia run into some complications in their relationship when all is not as it seems.
1. Chapter 1

It had been a long six months, but Han Solo was finally on his way home. After completing a secret mission for the Alliance, and spending all of his time away with absolutely no contact with the outside world, Han could not wait to reacquaint himself with civilization. It had been just him, Chewie, and the Falcon for the long six months, and Han was looking forward to being reunited with his princess.

He imagined that his reunion with Leia would be a joyous one, and fantasized about all of the wonderful things he was going to do with her upon his return. But towards the end of his trip, during the darkest and loneliest of nights, he began to feel a bubbling sense of dread build up inside him that he couldn't shake.

He wondered if she would still love him like she did when he left. If she still thought of him while she busied herself running around doing work for the Alliance. If there was someone else who had filled the void Han had left, although not on purpose.

But the excitement of the upcoming reunion, of wrapping his arms around her small waist and holding her close, kissing her fiercely and taking her into bedroom so that they could be alone for as long as he could manage, was quickly evaporating all doubts from his mind.

Laying in his bunk, dressed in his usual blood stripe pants and vest, twiddling his thumbs anxiously while the ship flew through hyperspace, Han was almost thrown when the Falcon suddenly lurched.

"Chewie! Chewie did you feel that?" Han yelled as he quickly got up from the bed and made his way to the cockpit of his ship.

"Get up you great lump and come help me!"

Chewie came quickly lumbering after him growling something about never getting enough sleep.

"What happened?"

"I dunno, Chewie, see if you can check all the systems."

The pair worked for a few moments, grumbling orders and trying to configure the ship.

"I think we're gonna have to put her down somewhere, Chewie, she's just not flying smoothly. Take us out of hyperspace."

Chewbacca growled out of frustration, he was looking forward to getting back to Coruscant almost as much as Han, but did what he was told.

"Do you see that planet there, Chewie? I'm gonna land us there. No, I don't know what it is, but it's the best we can do for now. We'll just be a few hours then we'll take her right back out."

Chewie didn't answer, but he wasn't sure he liked the feel of this place.

After landing had gone fairly smoothly, Han and Chewie worked profusely on the ship for the next few hours. It was only when both of their stomachs began growling menacingly that they decided to stop.

Han called up to the wookiee, "Chewie, do you want to go into the main part of town to get something to eat?"

Chewie just nodded vigorously.

"Alright, let's go. Maybe we can make a phone call to Coruscant somewhere. Make sure they haven't forgotten about us yet."

He was joking, but they both knew the fear was very real.

They found the most promising place they could and placed their orders as quickly as possible. When the food arrived, Han briefly stopped to admire the amount of food Chewie could devour in just seconds before starting in on his own dinner.

They ate in silence, the clink of silverware and slurping of drinks the only sounds they could hear, other than the general hubbub coming from the bar behind them.

Han spoke up once the plates had been cleared.

"I think I'm gonna go see if they have a comm I can use. Stay out of trouble won't you."

"Right back at you, cub."

Laughing, Han walked up to the bar. While the bartender busied himself with other customers, Han noticed the holonews was on. Anxious for some kind of contact to what had been going on, he strained his ears to listen.

He frowned listening to something about some prince's arrival to another planet. His interest piqued when he realized the planet in question was Coruscant, and then his heart stopped when he saw the picture.

Frozen on screen stood Leia, standing next to the mysterious prince, smiling. Above it, the headline read: "Princess Leia and Prince Isolder to marry!"

Every part of Han immobilized. He couldn't breathe or think. It was his worst fears come to life in the most unimaginable way possible.

He had considered every possible bad thing that could have come from his absence, but he hadn't prepared himself for it actually happening.

The princess, _his_ princess, marrying another man. A prince.

Han stood in front of the bar for several minutes, grinding his teeth, his expression stoic. The bartender asked him what he wanted but he couldn't speak, he didn't even hear him.

Shaking himself out of the funk, Han slowly made his way back to where Chewie was sitting and sat back down, not saying a word.

"Took you long enough, what's going on?"

When Han didn't answer, Chewie looked up and noticed the vague expression.

"What's wrong? Cub?"

"I think we should probably just spend the night here, Chewie. It's late and I'm tired. No need going back there for nothing."

If Chewie was confused by Han's words, he didn't say anything. He just continued to watch Han as he stood back up and walked out the door.

A/N: So I've never read COPL, but I'm basically just using Isolder for my own purposes in this story. Also, before anyone starts hating Leia, realize that so far we've only seen oneside of the story. Enjoy!


	2. Chapter 2

She felt the weight of his body on her own. With a slight tip of the head, his lips were on hers, kissing her sweet and slow.

She moaned into his mouth, grabbing the back of his head and pulling him closer. His tongue matched the desperateness of hers and they battled.

He reached down to pull off her nightgown and placed a kiss on her shoulder blade. His mouth trailed further and farther down until-

Leia woke with a start.

It had been a wonderful dream. The same one she's had the past six months waiting for Han to return.

During the day, she was able to remain calm and diligent, but the nights were havoc for her emotions. Most of the time she would cry herself to sleep, pull the covers over her head, and wish he was there.

It had been a long time since she had seen him, but thankfully it seemed the time was soon coming to an end. She knew that at any moment she could be looking up at the sky and see the Falcon coming down to land.

In truth, Leia had believed that Han would already be back, but since it was still early, she didn't want to worry herself over it yet. She was just anxious to have him home.

A lot had happened during the time they were apart, but nothing had changed the way she felt about him. Her feelings seemed stronger somehow. She just hoped he still felt the same.

Brushing her hair back and away from her eyes, Leia got up from the bed and stretched. It was going to be another long day of meetings. Not to mention the continuous presence of the Alliance's new favorite missionary, Prince Isolder.

Being the excellent diplomat that she was, Leia had been nice to Isolder, but he was getting on her nerves. In the beginning, she had almost welcomed the frequent meetings and dinner trips because they distracted her from Han's absence, but last night it had gone too far.

The prince, knowing full well of the extent of her and Han's relationship, had had the gall to propose marriage to her in front of the entire high council. While she had blanched in shock, some of the other officials seemed to welcome it, even support it.

She had politely, but adamantly, refused, then excused herself from work for the day. When she returned home, every fiber of her being was wishing that Han would somehow miraculously be there to surprise her. Instead, she found herself alone and exhausted.

After a quick dinner, Leia stood under the shower tap for as long as she could handle and went immediately to bed. It was the first time in months that she hadn't caught up on paper work or bothered to watch the holonews before going to sleep.

Now she was dreading returning to work, anxious to see if people had heard about the proposal and how they would react to her short dismissal. She refused to feel guilty, however, because she had always been open about her affection for Han and her intention to, if not marry him, spend the rest of her life with him. It was not her fault she had been taken so clearly off guard that she hadn't had the chance to prepare a more reasonable rejection.

After picking up her paper from the front door, Leia made her way to the kitchen and poured herself a cup of kaffe. She sat at the table eating a bowl of cereal when her eyes made contact with the front page of the paper.

Leia almost choked on her breakfast.

On the spread, there was a huge picture of her and Isolder, taken of the two of them when they had first met three months ago. Yes, they were smiling sweetly at one another, but that had just been for politics' sake. And the picture must have somehow been altered because what she knew had been a simple handshake, now looked like they were lovingly holding hands.

Examining every inch of the picture, Leia looked sick. And then she saw the headline:

"Prince and Princess Announce Their Engagement."

Now she was furious.

Han sat in his chair in the cockpit of the Falcon, looking out at the morning darkness. Every part of him felt numb.

He hadn't slept the entire night, just laid awake thinking of Leia and her betrayal.

Han would not have believed it if someone had told him. He couldn't have dreamed that it would have been possible, but the picture of her and the stranger was now engrained in his mind.

At some point during the early hours of the morning, Han had come to the realization that it was probably his fault in the first place.

He was the one who had fallen so inexplicably in love with a princess. Why shouldn't she marry a prince? Han had just been a moment of passion. A surprise lover in the midst of war. But it certainly hadn't felt like that after the war ended. At least not on his part. And not on her side either.

It had been a tug of war between his heart and his mind that now left Han feeling almost lifeless. He hated feeling this way, everything completely out of his control.

The active part of him told him to rush back to Coruscant, take Leia far away, and make her see the sense in their love. Then his old smuggler instinct told him to run far away, by himself.

He wanted to hate her. To curse her and everything that was ever connected to her, but the worst part was that he was still completely in love with her. And she was everything in his life now.

From the Falcon to their apartment. His job and his missions. His whole existence had someone begun to center around her, and this left him utterly vulnerable.

And Han Solo hated feeling vulnerable.

He needed to get away. Han wasn't going to fly back to Coruscant and act like some foolish idiot. If she wanted to marry the prince, so be it. He was going to leave her and her Alliance behind. All he needed to do was file the documents from his mission and he'd be free.

Han stood up from his chair and made his way through the bowels of his ship.

"Chewie, I need you to do me a favor."


	3. Chapter 3

"Chewie, I need you to do me a favor."

Han stepped inside the room, searching through the darkness for his friend's face. Chewie still had sleep in his eyes, but he spoke to Han awake and alert.

"What's wrong, cub?"

Han took a deep breath. He had known about it for a few hours now, but to say it out loud held a stronger connotation.

"Leia's engaged."

Two simple words that would change the rest of his life.

Chewie started laughing. He heaved and hawed, threw his limbs around, but then saw the look on Han's face and ceased immediately.

"You're serious?"

Han handed him the paper he had picked up before returning to the ship the night before. The headline and picture painted very strong evidence that the princess was indeed engaged to some mysterious man.

Chewie was not happy.

"This is false, Han. You can't possibly believe it's true."

"It's in the paper, Chewie. It was on the news. This isn't some gossipy source."

Chewie frowned and looked down again at the paper.

"I don't believe it."

Han just shook his head.

"I need you to do something for me."

"What is it?"

"I need you to take all the paper work back to Coruscant."

"You can do it."

"I can't go back there. At least not now."

"Cub, say for a minute this is true, which it's not, but if you don't go back there and stop it, then it will happen."

Han shrugged.

"Just-" But the words weren't coming to him.

"Please, Chewie?"

Chewie was silent as he thought about this predicament. Every part of him screamed that this was wrong, he knew that Han and Leia were both deeply in love with each other and invested in their relationship, but the physical evidence was just too strong. He needed to find a way to prove it.

"Why don't we just comm-"

Han cut him off.

"I'm not calling there. Just return the paper work then come back here. We can figure out the rest later."

Chewie knew better than anyone how stubborn the former smuggler could be. If he went back there, he could find out exactly what was going on, and bring the princess back with him so that she could convince him. At this point, she was the only one who could.

"Ok, I'll do it."

Han nodded.

"Thank you, Chewie. I'll find a place to stay here for a few days."

Chewie had never seen Han look so serious.

* * *

><p>Leia had never gotten ready so fast in her life. After throwing her cereal bowl into the sink, she stormed into the 'fresher, showered, dressed, threw her hair up into some sort of braid, and practically ran to the office.<p>

Standing in front of the door of Mon Mothma's office, Leia was still fuming. She knocked rather harshly on the door.

The older woman called to her to come in, so Leia took a deep breath and opened the door. She threw the paper onto the desk in front of Mon and sat down, hard.

Mon looked from Leia to the paper looking grave.

"I'm so sorry, Leia."

"Please, don't waste my time and yours apologizing. I just want an explanation."

"At this time, I don't have one to give you."

"What do you mean? Who did this?"

"I have been trying to figure out that exact question since the story broke last night."

Leia's expression changed from anger to confusion, back again.

"The story broke last night? How?"

"Your 'engagement' was announced on the Holonews. There was no source given, but the anonymous person in question supplied the broadcaster with the announcement and photo to go with it."

"It was Isolder. It had to have been."

"That's what we thought too, but Leia, he seemed as surprised as the rest of us that the story had broken. He seemed to think that you had somehow changed your mind."

"I certainly have not!"

"I know that. And he does now too. I promise, we will find out who did this, and do immediate damage control."

Leia frowned, looking thoughtful.

"There were people in the meeting who seemed pleased by the proposal."

"Yes, but I was not one of them. I know and support your relationship with General Solo, and I will personally be sure to fix this."

Leia didn't know what to say. There was not much she could do at the moment but wait. She just hoped that Han had not seen it.

* * *

><p>Chewie and Han stood at the bottom of the ramp to the Falcon.<p>

"Are you sure you don't want to come, Han?"

"I told you, Chewie, I'm not going anywhere near that place. Or her."

Chewie shook his head somberly.

"I think this is all just a big misunderstanding. Some stupid rumor taken too far."

"You saw the picture."

"Pictures can sometimes lie."

"And they can sometimes show you the truth too."

"Alright, cub. I'll go there. Drop the forms off and come back."

Han nodded and turned to leave.

"Hold on. What do you want me to say to Leia when I see her."

"Don't see her."

"You know that's close to impossible."

"I'm sure she'll be far too busy planning her royal wedding to be bothered to talk to you, Chewie, so I wouldn't worry about it."

Han once again tried to leave, but Chewie let out a bone chilling growl and Han stopped cold.

"What!"

"What do you want me to say to her?"

"Tell her 'Good riddance!'"

Before Chewie could process what he had said, Han had walked briskly away from the ship. He let out a soft growl and walked back up the ramp.

He took a deep breath before putting the Falcon on track for Coruscant and into hyperspace.

* * *

><p>It was late when Leia received the comm, but she wasn't even close to sleeping. After talking to Mon, Leia had spent the entire day holed up in her office processing mounds of paperwork. It was only when Luke had shown up and threatened to carry her out of there that she agreed to go home.<p>

She had asked him to stay, and he did while he made them dinner, but then he told her he wanted to help out trying to find out who had started the rumor.

Leia had tried to go with him, but he refused, muttering something incoherent to her and left. After, she had just lain in bed, her mind racing.

When her comm rang, she had been startled out of a deep thought. She was now concerned that Han had somehow found out about this, but when the ship control person had told her the Falcon was in the process of landing, Leia felt nothing but relief and excitement. As long as Han was here with her, they could figure it out together.

She sighed after getting out of bed and looking at herself in the mirror. She looked like a wreck.

Leia went into the 'fresher to apply a fresh coat of make-up and brush her hair. She smiled to herself as she left the apartment and felt the night air.

He was back.


	4. Chapter 4

She stood on the side of the track anxiously, desperate to get as close to the Falcon as possible. Once it was permanently landed, Leia ran over to the ramp, willing it to go down.

Envisioning the moment when she could throw her arms around Han's shoulders, Leia shivered. It had nothing to do with the cold. The wait of the past six months could not compare to the anticipation she now felt these next few seconds.

Slowly, the ramp declined, and rather than wait at the bottom, she sprinted upwards, stopping past Chewie to pat his shoulder, and ran to the cockpit.

Han wasn't there.

Confused, Leia made her way to his cabin. Finding him absent there as well, she walked through all of the space of the ship. Standing in the middle of the kitchen, Leia felt a presence behind her. Her heart stopped, thinking it was Han, but when she turned around, Chewie was standing in the doorway.

"Where-?"

But Chewie cut her off with a loud grumble.

"Is it true?"

Leia was still so confused by Han's absence that it took her a minute to realize what Chewie was asking.

"What? I- Oh! Chewie no! Gods no!"

Chewie let out a growl that sounded relieved.

"Where's Han? He didn't see-he doesn't think? Chewie?"

He motioned for them to sit down.

"Please tell me what happened."

Distracted, Leia's words were frazzled.

"Well, Prince Isolder did come here about three months ago for diplomatic reasons. As a sort of political press junket, it was my job to welcome him and keep up with appearances. It was never romantic, at least on my part, and then two nights ago he proposed. I told him no right away! I didn't realize it had even made the news until the next morning when I saw it in the paper. Did Han see? What is he thinking? Chewie, where _is _he?"

The wookie patted her shoulder gently, easing her to calm down.

"Han did see it."

Leia shuddered and slumped in her seat.

"I can't imagine what he's thinking right now. If it was the other way around-"

She shuddered again.

"You're right, he was very angry. And you know how stubborn he can be, that there was just no convincing him to see truth at the moment."

"So he-"

"He stayed behind on the planet where we had docked for a few repairs on the Falcon."

"Ok, ok." Leia nodded to herself. "I can handle this. We'll just go there right now."

She stood up from her seat and started for the cockpit, a plan already forming in her mind.

"Slow down, there. First thing's first. I need to hand in the paperwork for the mission, so that we no longer have to worry about it. We can let the ship rest for an hour and then I promise we'll take off."

"Right! The mission. How did it go? Is everyone alright?"

Chewie just nodded.

"Little One, why don't you go and pack a bag for yourself while I drop this off. We can meet here within the hour."

Leia nodded and left the ship. As long as she had something to do, she could distract herself from the anxiety that was increasingly building up inside of her. Han had to understand once she told him the truth.

Right?

* * *

><p>Han could not sit still. He couldn't sleep, didn't want to eat, and wouldn't stop pacing the small room he had rented at some shoddy hotel.<p>

He was miserable.

All he wanted to do was fly somewhere far away and never look back. But of course he had forced Chewie to take the Falcon back to Coruscant. And he couldn't leave his best friend behind. He just had to wait.

After a few hours of pacing the room and throwing various things around, Han had had enough. He made his way out of the hotel and into the nearest cantina he could find. He just wanted to stop thinking about everything, even if just for a little while.

He couldn't get Leia out of his mind. The way her tiny hand fit into his large one. His arms around her waist, pulling her towards him. Her laugh and smile, her arms wrapped tightly around her body and the glare she gave him when he did something stupid. The taste of their mouths intertwined.

Gods, he loved her.

When he entered the bar, he told himself he was only going to have one. But then that quickly turned into two, then three, and by this point, he no longer knew how much he had to drink. He was just happy to be feeling nothing but the buzzing oblivion that only alcohol could provide him.

For the first time all night, Han looked up at the TV screen above him. He laughed mirthlessly at the little newscaster buzzing around about what she hoped would be involved in wedding plans for the prince and princess. Apparently, it was the wedding of the century!

In frustration, Han hit his fists to the bar and followed with his head. He let out a long groan. He just wanted to forget about her.

* * *

><p>Leia was already waiting at the Falcon when Chewie returned. He seemed grumpy at the moment, but didn't answer when Leia asked him what was wrong.<p>

She sat in Han's chair while Chewie put them on track. She didn't care where they were going so long as Han was there. After what felt like only a few seconds, she felt Chewie gently prodding her awake. She hadn't realized she had even fallen asleep.

Leia struggled to awake.

"Wha-? Are we there?" She stood up abruptly now.

"No, no. I was just waking you to say that you should probably sleep in the cabin."

"No, I'm ok. Really. I'll just stay here."

Chewie gave her a knowing look, so she decided that it probably was best to try to sleep.

As she laid in his bed, she was comforted by Han's scent and presence in the room. She fell asleep hopeful for the next day.

* * *

><p>Han didn't know what time it was or where he was. He had awoken sitting on a bar stool with his head in his hands and drool seeping down the front of him. Slightly embarrassed, he straightened himself out and made his way to the 'fresher.<p>

Coming out of the bathroom, he bumped into a small woman.

"Oh, sorry about that."

Han muttered and scratched the back of his head in confusion.

"That's alright. You look familiar."

Han took a moment to more closely observe the woman in front of him. She was older, with slightly graying hair and signs of wrinkles just beginning to line her face.

"Yeah, well." He didn't know how to continue.

The woman observed him calmly.

"You want to forget something don't you."

It wasn't a question.

"I- is it that obvious?"

"Oh, yes, and I have just the thing to help you."


	5. Chapter 5

Han didn't know what had possessed him to follow the woman out of the bar, but he found himself intrigued by what she had said to him. Watching her walk in front of him, he knew that he had the obvious advantage if she wound up being dangerous, and felt for his blaster hanging from his belt.

She had offered him something to help him forget, and at this point he was desperate and by far too intoxicated to make clear decisions.

He had no idea what was in store for him.

The woman quickened her pace and he stumbled trying to keep up with her.

"Hey lady, you never told me your name."

"That's not important to know, Solo."

"Hey! Why do you know my name?"

He stopped short. He shook his head at his bad decisions. First the drinking, now this.

"You're very famous."

"Uh, yeah, I guess."

"The princess you are involved with is engaged to another man."

Han remained silent.

"I can help you forget about her."

It was the first time this notion had been spoken aloud to him, and Han realized that he didn't quite like it. However angry he was at Leia, he knew that he would never rest until he at least had closure. And the more that he thought about the engagement, the odder it felt to him. Sure six months was a long time, but the Leia he knew wouldn't just off and get engaged without at least telling him something.

His mind was jumbled now. With the mixture of alcohol and confusion, Han was thoroughly overwhelmed.

"I-I, uh, I don't want to forget about her."

"Are you absolutely sure about that?"

Han looked up at the woman again, examining her. She looked so calm, so knowing.

"Tell me your name."

"It's no matter, you won't remember it in the morning."

Han had to agree that he probably wouldn't remember a lot of what happened tonight. Right now all he wanted to do was curl up somewhere and sleep for hours. He didn't think the hotel was too far away.

"Listen, uh, I appreciate your wanting to help and everything I guess, but I just realized that I don't think 'forgetting' about Le-her, is the best choice right now. I think I should probably try to figure things out, you know, coherently."

The woman didn't say anything. She remained looking at him in an odd manner.

"Well, alright then. Bye."

Han gave her one last look before turning to leave.

"Wait!" The woman called to him. "Stop!"

The tone of her voice was the only thing that caused him to halt.

"What do you want? I told you I don't need your help."

"I think you do."

Then everything went black.

* * *

><p>Leia woke early, showered, dressed, and prepared breakfast for both her and Chewie. She found the wookie sitting asleep in his chair. She shook him awake.<p>

"Chewie? Chewie, wake up!"

He opened his eyes slowly.

"What's wrong?"

"Nothing, I made breakfast."

She seemed cheerier than she was the night before. Chewie was assured by this and felt positive that things would work out nicely for them.

"Thank you, Little One. We should be there soon."

He got up and stretched, then left the cockpit to eat.

Leia took the moment to look out into the sky. She was amazed at the thrill of flying. Of course, her inspiration stemmed from Han's passion for it. She sat in his chair and sighed deeply. It would only be a few hours now until she would see him again.

When Chewie returned, Leia tried making conversation, but neither were really interested in talking. She was curious about their trip, but she felt her anxiety about Han pressing on her conscience, and knew she was too distracted for anything else. Chewie also seemed to be somewhere else.

With only an hour left to go, Leia busied herself cleaning the Falcon. It wasn't that she wanted to welcome Han back with a clean ship, in fact he'd probably prefer it dirtier, but she needed something to keep her mind off of him. That was hard considering he was invested in every part of the ship.

She had just finished folding the last of Han's clothes when Chewie called to her to prepare for landing. Taking a deep, calming breath, Leia made her way back to the cockpit.

After landing, she looked out onto the planet, and immediately felt as though there was something wrong. She didn't like this place at all.

"Chewie? Let's go find Han and bring him back here immediately. Even if we have to drag him back here, I'd rather explain everything in the ship than spend any more time here then we have too."

"I couldn't agree more. Come on, I know where he's staying."

* * *

><p>Han felt his surroundings before he saw them. Something sticky was on his face, the ground was hard, and his head was burning. Opening his eyes, he sat up and looked around. The sun was out, but he had no idea where he was.<p>

He touched his face and saw a concoction of dirt and blood on his fingers. He must have fallen to the ground somehow. Probably drunk. Standing up, he looked around more carefully. No one seemed to be around.

Han spoke out, "What happened last night?"

He grimaced as he felt his joints tighten in pain. Straightening up, he looked down at himself. He was still dressed in his usual attire, and his trusty blaster remained where it usually was on his belt. Shaking his head, he tried to figure out what was going on.

Nothing came to him.

He was surprised with himself because he never usually got this bad and on the rare occasion that he did, Chewie was always there to help him.

Speaking of his best friend, Han called out to him tentatively.

"Chewie?"

But there was no one around. The wookie never usually abandoned him. Something bad must have happened.

"Hello? Is anyone around?"

The air remained still and silent. Han decided it was best to try and go somewhere with people around.

He had been walking for close to an hour, thirstier than he had ever felt in his life, and still dealing with the remnants of a very strong hangover, when he saw the first signs of a small town. It didn't look familiar to him.

"That's strange." He muttered quietly to himself.

Something about the eeriness of the town caused him to go into full defense mode. Wrapping his fingers tight around his blaster, he pulled it out and looked all around him.

As he got closer, he heard the first sign of movements. People were starting to mill about the streets.

He noted to himself, "It must be early."

Sensing that no one was an immediate danger to him, Han put his blaster back in his pocket, but still kept a tight grip on it.

As he walked cautiously down the street, no one acknowledged him or seemed to give any notice of him.

He was just about to cross into the nearest shop when he saw a recognizable figure coming towards him.

"Chewie!"

When Han called out to him, Chewbacca heaved a loud sigh of relief and came towards him more quickly.

"Where have you been you big lug? What happened last night? Where are we?"

But Han's questions went unanswered when a woman came from behind Chewie and lunged at him. He threw his arms up in defense, but calmed when he realized she was hugging him.

"Wha-?

"Han! Oh, Gods Han! You're bleeding! What happened to you?"

Han touched his face again and looked at her quizzically.

The look in her eyes now matched his own confusion.

"Han? Are you-are you ok?"

"Uh, yeah. I think. Who are you?"


	6. Chapter 6

Leia didn't know whether to kiss him or slap him. Her first thought was that he was playing her and she wanted to fight right back. But the expression of legitimate confusion that lined his face was alarming, and she wanted to kiss the sense into him.

If he knew Chewie, but not her, how much of his memory was erased. And how?

She opened her mouth to question him, but Chewie spoke up first.

"Cub, did you hit your head?"

Han broke away from staring at Leia to face Chewie.

"I have no idea what happened to me last night. The last thing I remember is falling asleep in my cabin in the Falcon and the next thing I know I'm waking up on some deserted road somewhere."

"You obviously hurt yourself somehow. We should probably get that cleaned up first and then we can figure out what's going on."

Leia hadn't spoken since Han had revealed he didn't know who she was. She watched the dialogue between the two bewildered.

Han seemed to want to press the situation, but the scratch on his face was still bleeding profusely.

"Ok, where can we go?"

Leia found an opportunity to speak. "The Falcon is close."

He looked at her again with renewed curiosity, measuring her up.

"Alright. Let's go then."

Chewie led the way with Leia walking as close to Han as he would allow. She didn't want to confuse him too much by acting intimate towards him, but she felt overwhelmed at having him so close yet not being able to touch him.

She was shook out of her thoughts when Han spoke to her.

"You never did tell me your name, sweetheart."

Leia smiled at the term of endearment, but it was bittersweet.

"Leia."

"You look familiar."

"Do I?" She tried not to sound too hopeful.

"Sure, I just don't know from where."

"Oh." She looked down at the ground.

It was weird for her acting so shy around Han. When they had first met, the situation had been dire and, being in full survival mode, she had no time to act like a shy school girl in front of her first crush. After getting to know him more, she spent the majority of the time being annoyed by him, and by the time they got together, she knew him too well to act shy.

"I'm Han by the way. Captain Han Solo."

She looked up at him again and seeing the smugness on his face, smiled.

"I know."

He felt disconcerted by this. The way she had ran at him and hugged him. The closeness with which she walked next to him. It was as if he was missing out on something. He didn't like being left in the dark.

Han straightened up and picked up his pace a little.

"Is that so? How is it that you seem to know me so well and I didn't even know your name?"

Leia was a little taken aback at the change in his demeanor. He was being defensive.

"Well, I- we're friends."

"I think I'd remember a friend, don't you?"

Now she felt defensive, despite knowing he was in a precarious position.

"It's obvious that something happened to you that made you forget certain things."

"Yeah? Like what?"

He was testing her. Leia tried taking a deep breath to calm her rising temper before continuing.

"Do you remember Luke? The Death Star? The Alliance? How about Vader or Boba Fett and the carbonite?"

"Sure, I remember everything that's happened to me up until the moment I woke up on that road."

Leia was taken aback by this. He couldn't possibly remember all of these things and not remember her. But there was no trace of remembrance from him when he looked at her. And she figured that if he was really upset with her, this was not the road he would have taken to take it out on her. He would have come at her kicking and screaming.

"I-how?"

"What do you mean how? It happened to _me _didn't it?"

"Yes, but-"

But Han's focus was now on the ship in front of him.

"She looks alright to me. Just the way I left her!"

Leia stopped where she was while Han ran up to his ship and patted it lovingly.

Chewie shook his head in false annoyance at Han's display of affection and motioned for him to come inside. Leia followed slowly behind. She had no idea what could have happened.

When she made her way into the hold of the ship, Chewie and Han were in the midst of an argument.

Chewie started, "You need to let me put the bacta on it. You don't want an infection on your face!"

"You're too rough, Chewie! I appreciate you trying but I can do it myself!"

"No you can't, you-"

"I'll do it Chewie." Leia's words hung in the air as the three of them considered her offer.

Chewie spoke first.

"That's probably for the best." He looked at Han now. "Do you want some water?"

Han's eyes were trained on Leia, but he answered Chewie.

"Yeah, actually. Thanks."

Leia walked over to where he was sitting and took the swab from Chewie. He patted her head reassuringly as he left the room to get Han his water. Neither said anything as she gently cleaned the cut on his face.

She refused to look anywhere but the red, torn skin because the feel of his gaze on her was overwhelming. The heat of his breath on her neck was making her dizzy. She had a strong urge to kiss him, but refrained, afraid of the consequences.

"Does it hurt?"

He jumped slightly, startled at the noise in the otherwise quiet room.

"No." His voice was almost a whisper.

She inadvertently moved closer to him, feeling the pull of his body.

"Why don't I remember you?"

It was the same question Leia was forming in her mind.

"I don't know." She smiled at him sadly.

"Should I remember you?"

She looked him in the eyes now.

"Yes."

"Who are you? What's your full name?"

"Leia Organa."

Han repeated the name to himself.

"Leia, Leia Organa. The _Princess _Leia Organa?"

Leia laughed at the look of bemusement on his face.

"Yes." Han broke out laughing. "What's so funny?"

"I don't know. This is all so weird. I think I'd remember being friends with a princess."

"Yeah, you really should."

"I don't believe it. I don't think we'd be friends."

Leia looked offended.

"Why is that?"

"You're probably just a stuffy know it all."

"And you're a brainless nerfherder and yet, I still put up with you."

She gave him a brilliant smile and he couldn't help but return it, despite being wary of her.

After a moment of silence, Han decided to test the waters more.

"So, uh. Are we more than friends? I see the way you look at me." He wiggled his eyebrows at her, giving her his best lopsided grin.

Leia looked shocked, not knowing how to respond. She opened her mouth, but Chewie took this moment to return.

"Here's your water. You should drink this and then rest for awhile."

Han and Leia continued to look at one another, but then she broke her gaze and left the room.


	7. Chapter 7

Leia hid out in the cockpit, waiting for Han to go into his cabin. She wanted nothing more than to be around him, but she was too confused by his lack of recognition of her to be with him at the moment.

She knew that he had probably been kidding when he asked if they had a deeper relationship than that of friends, but when she had hesitated to answer, something in his eyes told her he now suspected more. But it was far more important at the moment to figure out what was wrong with him then to go into the details of their relationship.

Listening intently for any noises from the rest of the ship, she got up and made her way to the hold. Neither Han nor Chewie were in there. She figured that they both were resting since Chewie hadn't slept in she didn't know how long.

This was nothing like what she expected. She thought Han would be raging mad, and most likely very hurt and betrayed by thinking she was engaged to Isolder. She could handle that, mostly because it wasn't true, but she never anticipated that something would have happened to him.

It had briefly crossed her mind that perhaps he had erased his memory of her on purpose, but the thought made bile rise up in her throat and she pushed it away immediately. He was impulsive, stupid, and stubborn at times, but he rarely ran away from his problems. He just had the tendency to push them off until he had to deal with them in the most extreme ways.

Soon, she would call Luke and tell him what had happened. They could very much use his help. First, she needed to talk to Chewie in order for them to decide if they should stay here to solve Han's mysterious condition or return to Coruscant.

Her head started to ache as all of these thoughts swirled through her mind.

Walking through the ship, she was surprised to find herself standing in front of Han's cabin door. _Their _cabin door, she thought to herself. She supposed that she would have to find another place to sleep that night, something she hadn't done, ever, now that she thought about it.

Leia pried the door open, careful not to make much noise and praying that Han was in fact asleep. Sticking her head through, she saw that the light was off and heard him snoring lightly. Confident now by his sleeping form, she moved to sit next to him, if only for a little while.

She just needed confirmation that he was alright, after all of those months apart, and it was easier when he wasn't awake to get in the way.

Watching him sleep for awhile, she brushed his bangs away from his face, and held her hand to his cheek for the briefest of moments. He still hadn't startled from her touch, so she leaned down and touched her lips gently to his forehead.

"I love you, Han," she whispered.

* * *

><p>Han was relieved to find himself awaking now in an actual bed. He opened his eyes and recognized the familiar sights of his cabin in the dark room. As he lay there, the happenings of the day came back to him. He felt disconcerted not knowing how he ended up on that deserted road, but what struck him in a much deeper way was the arrival of Leia.<p>

He honestly had no idea who she was, and yet there was something intensely familiar about her. He had dreamed about her in his sleep, and felt a strange, but comforting presence stemming from her.

Rolling onto his side, he was startled to see Leia sitting there, slumped and sleeping in a chair next to his bed. He watched her chest rise and fall to the peaceful drum of sleep, and was surprised by how alluring she seemed to him.

If he did know her, and despite how bewildering it might be, he was inclined to believe her and Chewie.

Remembering the last time he had spoken to her, Han smiled. He had jokingly asked her if she was interested in him, something to rile her up and soothe the tension that had been building, but he had noticed a distinct hesitation on her part. Had she been about to say yes?

Han thought so. But then the big oaf had chosen to walk in on the moment and he wasn't sure he would ever find out.

He wanted to talk more with Chewie so that he could get his bearings, without having Leia around. Although he enjoyed her company, however short it may have lasted, he felt more comfortable asking Chewie to fill in the blanks, especially because those missing moments involved her.

Quietly standing up, he lifted Leia from the chair and laid her down on the bed. He stood watching her for a moment before leaving the room.

It took a moment for his eyes to acclimate to the light in the hallway, but he didn't stop on his way to Chewie's room. He knocked.

"Chewie? Are you awake?"

"How come everyone keeps waking me up these days? Can't people wait until decent hours anymore?"

"Sorry, I just need to talk to you."

"I'm sure you're very confused."

"So I do know her? Leia, I mean?"

Chewie laughed to himself.

"You know her very well."

"Then why can't I remember? You're not playing a joke on me because you're trying to teach me some kind of lesson about getting drunk and running off somewhere are you?"

"No, but that's not a bad idea."

He continued laughing.

"Alright, alright. Stuff it. Just try'n help me figure out what's going on here, could ya?"

"Ok- so you remember everything that has happened these past couple of years with the Rebellion and Alliance and whatnot, except for yesterday, right?"

"And Leia, yeah. How does she fit in in all of this?"

He tried to sound casual, but Chewie looked at him knowingly.

"She's been there since the beginning. I don't even know where to start, cub." He frowned before continuing. "I suppose you remember meeting Luke and Obi-Wan in the cantina on Tatooine?"

"Yeah, yeah. The kid and the old man. I remember all that. Flying them to Alderaan, but then it was gone," He froze for a moment. "But I don't remember the _princess _of Alderaan being around then."

"No, she wasn't there yet. She was on the Death Star."

"Where the old man died?"

"Yes."

"I don't remember her."

Chewie sighed, concerned.

"She was the one who really convinced you to stay after escaping from the Death Star. Said there was more to you than just money."

Han shook his head.

"It doesn't even sound the slightest bit familiar. What's wrong with me?"

"Carbonite?"

"Yeah, trust me, I remember that."

"She was the one who got you out of it."

Han frowned.

"I don't remember that either."

Chewie thought silently for a moment, and was hesitant to continue.

"Cub, you were very upset with her right before we found you again."

Han was curious by this.

"Why?"

"It's a long story."


	8. Chapter 8

Chewie didn't think it was his place to tell Han about his relationship with Leia. That was something she would need to broach when she was ready. He didn't feel like he could serve it justice, mostly because he wasn't involved, but also because it had been an interesting and confusing process between the two, to say the least.

He just didn't understand how Han could have forgotten just one person, the most important person in his life at that.

While it was obvious that Han had hit his head off of something, the how and what were still in question. Also, Chewie suspected that there was more to it. There didn't seem to be any lasting physical damage, and yet, Han was still in the dark about very important matters.

He was torn between flying him immediately to a doctor or trying to fit the pieces together here on-planet. It was doubtful that Han would even have the patience to go to the med center and have countless tests run on him, even if he did know what was at stake.

Han was far more likely to want to investigate matters himself, and Chewie was inclined to stick with him. At this point, it was the princess he was more worried about, she had been unusually quiet and Chewie knew she was suffering enormous emotional upheaval.

If it had been him the captain had completely forgotten about, he didn't know what he would do. Maybe shake the memories into him.

* * *

><p>Leia awoke feeling much more comfortable than she had been falling asleep. She opened her eyes, and upon realizing she was lying in Han's bed, shot up straight. Looking around, she noticed she was alone, and disappointment seeped through her.<p>

So it hadn't been a dream.

She got up from the bed and made her way into the 'fresher. She splashed water onto her face, relishing in the harsh coldness that refreshed her. Staring into the mirror, she took a slow, calming breath. She didn't want Han to see the anguish that she felt. It wouldn't help matters to weep over every little memory that he had forgotten.

She had dreamed of their first kiss.

The way that he came up close to her from behind. Her trying to pull away from him had only egged him on. The feel of his breath as he leaned into her. The feel of his lips-

She shuddered. She couldn't think of this right now.

The thing was that Han would probably still welcome any of her inclinations if she chose to act on them. She just couldn't allow herself to be intimate with him in that way because it wouldn't mean the same to him.

Or maybe it would bring back his memories.

She sighed again. Of all things that she had to worry about, she thought her sex life could wait.

Although it had been stagnant for the past six months.

"What's a few more…however long it will be?"

She hadn't realized she had asked the question out loud until she heard him answer her from the bedroom.

"What are you waiting for, princess?"

Spluttering, Leia turned to the doorway and was alarmed at how fast her heart had started beating.

"It's nothing."

He moved closer to her.

"It didn't sound like nothing to me, sweetheart."

She backed away from him, but hit the shower door.

"I-I just have a lot to do is all."

Rather than look him in the eye, she stared at the wall directly behind him.

"Is that so?"

His gaze was heavy on her and both of their breaths were ragged.

"I-"

She wanted to kiss him. What would be the harm? It had been so long and she could sense his arousal. He wanted her. She wanted him.

She tilted her face up, just a few more inches and their lips would meet.

And then her conscience got the best of her. She had been dreaming of their reunion for so long, she just couldn't allow it to be like this. Sidestepping out of the way, she pushed past him, and practically ran out the door, leaving a confused Han behind her.

* * *

><p>Han was disappointed.<p>

He had really thought there was more to their relationship. Maybe no one had mentioned anything, but the way that Chewie had been hesitant to tell him anything, and Leia's demeanor towards him, he was definitely missing something.

After realizing he had been standing for far too long in the 'fresher, Han went to sit down on his bed. He needed to figure out what was going on. He hated being in the dark about all of this. And why was it just her and just the past few days he had forgotten?

He needed to call Luke. Usually, he didn't wish to delve into the Jedi-mind business, but he was desperate enough to admit that he had no idea how else to go about finding his lost memories.

Especially when it came to Leia.

His mind may have forgotten a lot about her, but his body was acting quite the opposite. He felt drawn to her, emotionally, physically, sexually. He wasn't used to feeling this way. If only she would react in a way that didn't involve running away.

He shook his head, frustrated.

Han could no longer sit there anymore. He had to go out and do something.

* * *

><p>Leia decided it would be in both of their best interests if she stopped allowing Han to take control of the conversation. He was leading her into dangerous territory and she didn't know how much longer she could last without jumping on him.<p>

She decided that the best way to repel him, at least for however long it took to fix him, was to readopt her Ice Princess attitude, hoping that he would stop trying to seduce her. If she acted disinterested, maybe he would leave her alone.

Although that hadn't worked very well in the first place.

She pushed that thought out of her mind. If anything was going to get done, she needed to play the role of diplomat and not wounded girlfriend. She was going to get that stubborn scoundrel's memories back if it was the last thing that she did.

* * *

><p>Leia was a woman on a mission. She walked through the hold and into the cockpit where both captain and copilot were sitting discussing their next steps.<p>

"I called Luke."

They hadn't heard her come in, but now their attention was trained on her.

"What?"

"I called him and gave him the coordinates to meet us here. I don't think there's any point in leaving this planet right now until we can find out what exactly happened to you."

Han looked like he wanted to cut in, but she continued.

"He's going to meet us here as soon as possible, but until then I think we should go out into the city before it gets dark again. There has to be someone around who saw you while you were here. We just have to ask."

Han looked doubtful.

"I don't know if we should trust anyone enough to just go up and ask them."

He looked at Chewie for back-up, but the wookie scoffed.

"I think she's right. We don't have anything else to go on. We should probably start at the bar. You were hung over."

Defeated two to one, Han sighed.

"Fine, but just be on the lookout. And don't trust anyone."


	9. Chapter 9

Once they got to the bar, the three of them separated. They agreed that it would be fairly safe to do so, since there weren't a lot of people in there to begin with. If any of them were to get into trouble, all they had to do was yell.

Both Han and Chewie were inclined to keep an eye on Leia, even though she was by no means weak, she was the smallest and most easily physically manipulated.

Han walked up to the bar casually, looking around to see if anyone recognized him or if he recognized anyone else. Taking in his surroundings, he tried to find anything familiar with the place. He strained his mind, but came up with nothing.

"Kest," he whispered.

"What was that?"

The bartender walked up to him.

"Whis-," he hesitated. "Water, please."

It was going to be a long night.

* * *

><p>Leia felt uncomfortable in the bar. Her force sense was tingling. There was something, or someone, off about this place. She just didn't have enough experience to narrow it down to the exact culprit.<p>

Out of the corner of her eye she watched Han swagger over to the bar. She laughed to herself at his blatant overconfidence. While it was one of the many things she loved about him, for the most part, it was a facet that got on a lot of other people's nerves.

She frowned when he ordered himself a drink. The situation was much too dire for him to go and get himself intoxicated again. That was what had apparently gotten him into trouble in the first place.

Although, it wasn't as though _he_ was suffering the brunt of the consequences. No one had forgotten about _him_.

She continued to watch him. Nothing else was odd about his demeanor. It was like there was nothing the matter with him. But she knew more than anybody that there certainly was.

As if he felt her eye on him, Han turned to look at her. He smiled when he found she had been watching him, and then winked. She rolled her eyes and turned the other way. Mostly, she wanted to hide the blush that had taken over her face.

"Gods, he's insufferable."

* * *

><p>Han was quite pleased with himself. The night was turning out better than he thought. First, he caught Leia staring him down like she wanted to jump on him. Then he made her blush.<p>

He leaned back with his arms stretched out behind his head and looked up at the TV screen. The newscaster was just finishing up highlighting the latest smashball scores and Han watched with distracted interest.

The next statement caught his eye.

"Although there hasn't been any official announcement from the happy couple, it is believed that Princess Leia and Prince Isolder are quietly celebrating their engagement on a private, romantic retreat as neither have been seen for a few days time now."

Then they flashed a picture of Leia and Isolder holding hands and looking very much the loving couple.

Han almost fell off the bar stool.

He turned immediately around to look at Leia, but she was staring off somewhere else into space.

"Probably daydreaming about her beloved," Han mumbled.

He certainly hadn't expected _this. _He was under the impression that there was something going on between Leia and himself. Sure, he didn't really quite remember any of it, but by the way she was acting towards him, he could have sworn she was into him. She had almost kissed him! He had thought that things may have been going slow for the pair of them, but he had never expected there was someone else.

But then again, the news had been wrong before. She wasn't wearing any engagement ring and she wasn't off on some romantic treat with the guy. She was here, with him. But they were friends. Maybe she had been too concerned for her "friend's" health that she didn't have time to celebrate.

He waved down the bartender's attention.

"Get me your strongest drink."

* * *

><p>Every so often, Leia snuck a peek at Han. She didn't want him catching her again, but she couldn't keep her eyes off him. It was a novelty to just be able to look over and see him near again. He had been in a fairly good spirit, chatting up those next to him and indicating to the bartender for a refill. Leia was pleased to see that he wasn't losing any of his natural instincts and suspected that there was nothing more than water in his cup.<p>

His mood had quickly spiraled in between the five minutes she had turned her attention away from him.

She frowned.

He was no longer speaking to anyone and his body was stiff and on alert. She immediately stood up to speak with him when a woman sidled up to his side to order a drink. Leia remained standing in place, but was watching Han carefully. The woman was close, much too close for Leia's liking.

She had never really been the jealous type. She had no reason to be jealous as Han had made it perfectly clear that he only had eyes for her. Of course, that had been when Han even knew who she was. If he didn't realize he was attached, no matter his attractiveness to her, there was no saying what he would do.

This thought hadn't crossed her mind before. If it had, she never would have allowed him to run loose in a seedy bar with women just waiting to pounce on the next handsome man that walked in.

The woman leaned into him, laughing at something he had said. His body had calmed and he no longer looked like he wanted to punch something. He joined in on the laughing as the woman brushed her hand across his shoulder. The intimate scene was making Leia nauseous.

He may not know it, but Han was her boyfriend and she wasn't going to just sit still and let this woman be all over him.

Leia attempted to wipe the jealous look off of her face and strolled casually over to where Han and the mystery woman were continuing their conversation. She stood next to them, but neither paid her any attention.

She cleared her throat. They continued talking. She heard him speak.

"You know who I am?"

The woman shook her head, but batted her eyes at him in anticipation.

"General Han Solo, captain of the Millenium Falcon." He smiled smugly.

The woman gasped in excitement.

"Ooh! The fastest ship in the galaxy!"

Han's eyes lit up in pleased surprise and Leia groaned. She still went ignored.

"That's my ship alright. Can I buy you a drink?"

The woman's smile broke and she hesitated.

"I-sure, yes. Thank you. But what about-"

Leia sensed where the woman was going with this and stepped in. If Han was going to learn about their relationship in his altered state, he wasn't going to hear it from some random woman. She would tell him.

"Han, can you come here a moment please? I need help with something."

She looked at the pair and smiled sweetly. The woman looked flummoxed and a little frightened by Leia's presence. Han looked annoyed.

His voice came out a little like a growl and a whisper.

"Get Chewie to help you, won't you? I'm a little busy here."

He nodded at the woman and smiled. She let out a helpless giggle.

"I'm sorry," Leia looked at the woman. "But it needs to be you, Han. Come on."

He wasn't happy about it, but he followed Leia to the table she had previously occupied.

He grumbled at her.

"What?"

"I-I need to tell you something. Important."

Han thought he knew what it was- her engagement- he didn't want to hear it.

"Can't we talk about it later?"

"No, it has to be now."

Han sighed.

"Han, I-we're-"

Leia was cut off when a shot rang through the bar.


	10. Chapter 10

A/N: I just want to thank everyone for all of your reviews. I hope you're all enjoying the story!

Leia and Han hit the floor with a thud. He had thrown himself down on top of her, apparently in a moment of protectiveness, but she couldn't breathe properly. She struggled silently beneath him, trying to get up to see what was going on, but he wouldn't budge.

"Han!"

"Shh! Don't move!"

While it was probably safest, Leia hated not knowing what was happening. The bar had gone silent after the shot rang out, but now people were screaming, chairs were being flung about, and she couldn't see a thing.

After a few moments, Han pulled her up but remained hidden under a table he had flipped for protection. They each had their blasters at the ready as they stood back to back looking all around.

"Do you see anything, Han?"

"Nothing that seems out of the ordinary. People are just flipping out."

"Where's Chewie?"

"He's in the corner hidden from sight."

After surveying the scene for a few more minutes, it appeared that everything was fine. Leia went to straighten up the table, but Han grabbed her arm and motioned for Chewie to leave the bar.

"Han, stop! I can walk on my own."

He spoke to her in a fast, hushed voice.

"Walk faster then! And don't look back."

She struggled to keep up with him and by the time he pulled her into an unlit alleyway, she was out of breath. He spoke first.

"Chewie will be here in a few minutes. He's just checking everything out."

"Are we meeting him here?"

"No, we'll go back to the ship once everyone's calmed down a bit. We don't need to get caught up in the chaos."

Noticing her frown, Han laughed.

"What's so funny?"

"You need to relax."

"I really don't think the situation calls for relaxation. Stop laughing!"

"Sorry, sorry! You just look so cute when you're flustered."

She hit his shoulder.

"Ow! What was that for?"

"I bet that wasn't cute!"

They glared at each other, but then heard a noise coming from the other side of the alley.

"What was that?" She whispered to him.

"How am I supposed to know?"

"Fine. I'll look."

"Like hell you will! Get back here!"

He didn't know why he was acting so protective of her, but when she started down the alleyway, he couldn't just let her go alone. She hugged one side of the wall and Han followed by staying on the other, making it so that he stayed slightly ahead of her at all times. They kept their blasters up and on alert.

Coming towards a corner, Han held his hand up to stop Leia.

"Hold on. Let me take a look first."

She rolled her eyes, but stayed where she was.

"Back me up."

Han crept quietly around the corner. Leia almost screamed when Han flinched and aimed his blaster, but he relaxed his grip and walked calmly into the open.

"What is it?"

"Just some old woman sleeping. Come see for yourself."

Leia followed him carefully and now stood next to him. She questioned him, still speaking in a whisper.

"How do you know she's safe?"

"I don't."

"Then why aren't we being more cautious here?"

"Because look at her. She's just an innocent old lady. Nothing to worry about."

He smirked at her.

"Like I told you. Relax a bit."

The frown on her face was her only response.

"I feel bad for her. Sleeping out here alone. It can't be safe. Especially after what happened in the bar tonight. We didn't even see who shot."

"I'm sure she's used to it, sweetheart."

But Han looked concerned himself. Something about her stood out to him. He assumed it was her age and that he felt bad for her in her condition.

"Do you think we should get her some help?"

"Yeah, maybe-"

Han froze.

"Who's there?"

A figure came out of the shadows.

"Chewie! What're you doing here? I thought we decided we'd meet back at the ship?"

"I don't ever remember making that agreement."

Han looked perplexed.

"Oh, right. I thought it was just assumed!"

Leia rolled her eyes again.

"Nice planning, Flyboy. Let's get this woman some help and head back to the ship as soon as possible. I don't like it here- Where did she go?"

Han looked around confused.

"Huh? I don't know. Did you see where she went, Chewie?"

"Did I see where who went?"

Confusion grew on Han's and Leia's faces.

"The woman who was lying here next to us."

"I didn't see anyone."

"Well that's just the darndest- You did see her, right?" He looked at Leia.

"Of course I did. She must have heard Chewie before we did, got scared and ran away."

"She didn't act like that when we were coming around the corner."

"Maybe she didn't feel threatened by you."

"I'm quite the intimidating presence I'll have you know."

"Oh really? Maybe you should show it more often."

"Listen, lady. I barely even know-"

"Stop!" Chewie cut them off. He was sick of their bickering. "Can we please just head back to the ship now?"

Han and Leia nodded, but they still looked like little children who had been yelled at by their mother. No one spoke as they made their way back to the Falcon.

* * *

><p>Han felt increasingly agitated. He was frustrated by his alleged condition, even though nothing felt wrong to him, and he was more upset at learning that Leia was engaged then he would like to admit. He didn't even know her, so he wasn't sure why he cared so much. Not to mention, the whole shootout in the bar and the disappearing old woman.<p>

There was something about the woman that he couldn't put his finger on. Something off-putting about her that made him uncomfortable. Like she was familiar somehow.

He shook his head in frustration. Now he was just creating people in his mind who he thought he had forgotten.

Since he couldn't sort out everything else, he was inclined to take his anger out on Leia. It might not have been fair, but to him, none of this was fair.

He walked out into the hold of the ship and found her sitting reading her datapad. Looking at her now, he didn't know if he could go at her the way he wanted to. She looked so innocent sitting there. And he wasn't even sure if he was allowed to be angry by her engagement. As her "friend," he presumed that he had no right.

She looked up from her work and smiled at him slightly.

Her voice came out soft and shy.

"Hi."

"Hi."

She looked down again, so he guessed that it was up to him to continue the conversation.

"What are you doing?"

"Just reading some reports. I can't think of anything else we can do right now for your condition so I just thought I'd do some work before bed."

He nodded.

"It's seems like a pretty boring life you lead. Doing work all the time."

The smile on her face now seemed far away. Like she was remembering something that she couldn't, or didn't, want to share with him.

"It's not all bad."

"I'm sure."

He turned to leave, annoyed again at her hesitance to speak openly to him. The woman was driving him crazy.

"Han?"

"Yeah?"

She hesitated, but remained looking him straight in the eye. Standing up, she made her way over to him, stopping directly in front of him.

He eyed her questioningly.

"Wha-?"

She put her hand up to his mouth to stop him from speaking. Slowly, she moved her hand away and edged closer towards him. She reached her head up and kissed him. Gently at first, but it was like a fire sparked in their brains, and they clutched each other frantically. Her hands pulled him towards her by the curls at the bottom of his hair as he wrapped his arms around her frame. Han moved his mouth away from hers, kissing and sucking on her neck down to her shoulder, desperate to explore her body like it was some lost treasure he had found again.

She spoke to him breathless.

"I've missed you."


	11. Chapter 11

All rational thought flew away as Leia's lips crashed on Han's. Her entire body and mind were tingling. She moaned at the way his lips felt soft, but slightly chapped on hers. His tongue gently implored her mouth as his hands edged up and over her body like he couldn't get enough.

She couldn't get enough of him.

She pulled slightly away from him, their noses mere inches apart, as she held his face in her hands, looking into his eyes to make sure it was real, that he was real. He smiled at her and kissed her again. She sank into the kiss and didn't object when he moved them over to the couch.

Han sat and pulled her down on top of him. She straddled him, never breaking the kiss. Suddenly, his hands tugged at the bottom of her shirt and she moved, allowing him to lift it over her head. She took off his vest and practically threw it across the room. He paused from kissing her neck and laughed at her appreciatively.

"Anxious are we, sweetheart?"

"You have no idea."

She crushed her lips against his again. This time, her tongue was the enforcer. She sucked at his bottom lip and moaned. Without even looking, she unbuttoned his shirt and tore it off him.

"I need you."

The look in her eyes as she spoke to him was enough to throw him over the edge. All hesitance that he might have had quickly faded. It was only him and her at this moment. He picked her up and went to move into his cabin.

Han was walking as fast as he could with the princess wrapped around him, but couldn't see where he was going. He tripped, and with a move he wasn't even sure how he had managed it, spun them around so that she landed on top of him.

Leia yelped as Han groaned in pain.

"Oh! Are you ok, Han?"

"'M all right." He rubbed his shoulder.

Leia tried to look sympathetic but then burst out laughing.

Han watched her, horrified at her lack of concern, but couldn't help but join in.

"You should laugh more often. It's contagious."

She smiled at him.

"I'm not usually this- serious I suppose. Not around you at least."

"Then what's the issue now?"

"That's the problem. We don't know."

She frowned, and sensing the situation turning serious, Han quickly spoke up.

"We'll figure it out. We always do."

"How do you know that? You don't even remember."

"Well, I remember all the situations I've gotten myself into in the past. And we're still here, aren't we?"

"I guess." She smiled again.

After a brief moment of silence, they seemed to realize the position they were in. Han smirked at her.

"Looks like you've got me in quite the compromising position here, princess. What are you going to do about it?"

She feigned a look of innocence.

"Excellent question. What do _you _think I should do about it?"

His eyes darkened with arousal.

"I have a few things in mind."

She tried to remain casual.

"Oh? And what may those entail?"

Rather than verbally respond, he reached up and captured her lips in another kiss. She reacted greedily, relishing in the moment.

A voice interrupted them.

"Oh my!"

Han groaned.

"You have to be kidding me! Threepio, how did you get here?"

The droid looked at them, slightly horrified. Leia broke out laughing.

"I came with Master Luke of course! He sent me in here to get you. Something about not wanting to walk in on such a precarious position. I daresay I agree."

Leia laughed harder at the annoyed look on Han's face, but quickly turned serious.

"How did Luke and Threepio get in here without us hearing them?"

"Don't worry, sweetheart, we were a little busy." He winked at her before standing and pulling her up with him. "Let's go see if Luke can fix me."

They walked into the room, Han leading with Leia slightly behind him.

"Why are you being so shy?" He teased her.

"I need my shirt."

"Oh! Right! Threepio, grab the princess her shirt, would you?"

Threepio moved about quickly as Luke entered the fold.

"You two are ridiculous." His voice was teasing, but his eyes looked stern.

Leia blushed, but Han laughed.

"You're just jealous."

Both Luke and Leia made disgusted faces.

"No, I'm really not. We're siblings, Han."

Han's eyes grew large.

"Well, that's a relief I guess."

After attending to her shirt, Leia stepped out from behind Han and embraced her brother.

"Thanks for coming, Luke."

He smiled.

"Of course. Han, I think it would be best if you got a full night's sleep tonight, and then I can try and probe your mind a bit tomorrow."

Han looked uncomfortable, but the look of hope on Leia's face was enough to convince him.

"Alright. Fine, kid. I am a bit tired."

He went to walk out, but stopped and turned around. He was hoping Leia was going to follow him, but when she didn't move, he gave them a last half smile and walked out.

Halfway to his cabin, he realized he had forgotten his own shirt. It wasn't a huge deal at the moment, but he thought that if he reappeared again, Leia might come with him this time. He stopped in the doorway when he heard their voices hushed.

"The Alliance isn't too happy with your abrupt departure."

"What was I supposed to do, Luke? He wasn't coming back."

They were silent for several seconds until Luke spoke again.

"The whole Isolder thing must have been pretty hard on him."

Leia nodded.

Luke continued, "I guess it's almost a good thing he doesn't remember. You don't have to explain to him about the whole 'engagement' business."

Han's heart sunk. Isolder. He had forgotten about him. Hell, it seemed like _she_ had forgotten about the guy. He thought maybe he should have asked her about him before carrying on with their ministrations, but Han was unable to focus on anything else at the time. He supposed he would ask her in the morning.

Walking back to his cabin this time, Han felt miserable and confused. He needed to know exactly what was going on between him and Leia. Were they just having an affair or was there something more to them? He couldn't imagine that he would sit idly by and allow another man to be with the woman he loved.

Love.

Was he in love with her? He wasn't sure. All he knew was how happy he felt when she was around him, how crazy she made him, and this was even without really knowing her.

He sat down on his bed and sighed in frustration. Looking down, with his head in his hands, Han stared at the floor. Something shiny was sticking out slightly from underneath the bed.

"What?"

Han picked it up. It was a ring. An engagement ring. Han felt a lump in his throat. He swallowed. It had to have been. So Leia must have said yes to Isolder. But why wasn't she wearing it? Even wearier of everything than he was at the start of the day, Han placed the ring on his dresser, and flopped down on the bed.

What had he gotten himself into?


	12. Chapter 12

Han woke up with a vicious headache. He was afraid for a moment that he was once again hung over and lying on a road somewhere, but felt a pillow beneath his head and blankets lying on top of him. He distinctly remembered falling asleep on top of the blankets. Then he felt the weight on his arm and the warmth up against his body and realized that someone was sleeping in the bed with him.

Han sighed. It wasn't as though he didn't want her there, but he didn't like the situation he had apparently gotten himself into. While he was used to doing things his way, there was something off about this ordeal. He didn't want to be the "other guy," and according to her engagement ring that was now lying on his dresser, that was just what he was.

Opening one eye, he checked to make sure that it was in fact Leia lying next to him. He didn't want any more unwelcome surprises. When he saw her sleeping soundly and peacefully, his heart started racing. He should probably just ask her what exactly was going on, but he found that if it involved him losing out, he didn't want to know.

Maybe it was best to leave her behind, fly far away, and never think twice about not recollecting his lost memories. It certainly would be easier. How could he have a broken heart if he didn't remember what he lost?

He sighed again and shifted Leia to the other side of the bed. He needed a good long time in the 'fresher to think. Usually, he would take off flying somewhere, but with so many people on board, it wouldn't be nearly as peaceful.

He already had a headache.

* * *

><p>Leia awoke feeling happier than she had in a long time. Looking back, she knew that she probably shouldn't have kissed Han, but she couldn't stand it anymore. For her own sanity, she needed to be with him. She opened her eyes expecting to see him sleeping next to her, but found that she was alone.<p>

Off in the distance, she heard the 'fresher running and briefly considered surprising him in there, but realized it probably wasn't the smartest move to make. She looked longingly at the closed door before hurling herself up to get dressed for the day.

She hadn't thought to pack more than a day or two's worth of clothing since her original intention was to fly with Han back to Coruscant immediately. She noted to herself to put her clothes in a cleaning cycle and for the time being, dressed in one of Han's t-shirts.

Standing in front of the mirror, Leia threw her hair up in a simple braid. She had no idea what was in store for the day, but knew she didn't have to do anything fancy.

Something sparkled towards the bottom of the mirror that caught her eye. Looking down, she found a ring that could only have one purpose. She had no idea where it had come from, but considering it was in Han's cabin lying on his dresser, she assumed it was his.

Had he bought it for her? He must have. With a flutter in her stomach, she realized that Han was going to propose. Then her stomach dropped when she realized that the Han who was with her now would have no memory of his inclinations.

She held the ring in the palm of her hand, examining every bit of it. It was simple; a clear Han choice, but it was also very beautiful. Despite herself, Leia smiled. Once they got out of this and Han returned to normal, she had something wonderful to look forward to. She walked out of the cabin with renewed determination.

Leia walked into the kitchen to see Luke and Chewie sitting at the table eating breakfast.

Luke spoke up, "Morning, Leia."

She walked to the table and sat down.

"Leia?"

She looked up at him.

"Hm? What?"

"I said 'good morning.'"

"Oh, morning Luke."

"Everything ok?"

She still seemed distracted, but was now paying attention to him.

"Yes, I'm fine. Has Han eaten yet?"

"No, I haven't seen him today."

"He was just in the 'fresher when I woke up."

"I hope he'll be a willing participant in all of this. We need to get his memories back and return to Coruscant as soon as possible."

Leia looked alarmed.

"Why are we in such a hurry? I mean, I know why I'm in such a hurry, but usually you're always going on about patience."

Luke and Chewie exchanged a look.

Leia probed again. "What's going on? Is something wrong?"

Luke sighed before answering.

"I didn't say anything last night because I didn't want to worry you. But do you remember how I said that the Alliance didn't take too well to you leaving?"

"Yes, but-"

He cut her off.

"Well, there's something strange going on there. I felt it originally when Isolder first arrived to Coruscant, but the feeling has been growing stronger since."

"What is it exactly?"

Luke hesitated.

"We," he pointed at Chewie and himself, "believe that someone might be going after Han."

Leia stood up quickly.

"What? Why!"

"We're not sure yet, but all signs are pointing towards something odd."

"Like what exactly?"

"Well, first the mission that Han and Chewie were on."

"Yes?"

"Chewie was telling me that he didn't think there was anything really necessary about it."

"What do you mean?"

"The secretiveness behind it doesn't make any sense. The length too. Not to mention there wasn't really anything there for them to do in particular once they got there. It was a lot of sitting around waiting for something to happen that never did."

Leia and Chewie waited for Luke to continue.

"Plus, the timing of Isolder's arrival and his sudden proposal. I don't know if he's so much the problem as he is the outlet. I still can't determine if people are against Han or your and Han's relationship. Possibly both."

Leia found her voice.

"What people exactly?"

"That's unclear too. There are a few people who completely support a relationship between you and Isolder who I don't think are involved in anything surreptitious, but then there are those who are extremely suspicious, but I can't just call them out on it without knowing facts. And I don't think it's a good idea for Han to go back until he can remember who you are."

"Then what are we going to do right now?"

"Try to fix Han and figure out what happened to him. I have a very strong feeling that whoever or whatever did this to him is all connected somehow."

Leia looked contemplative.

"Ok, we're going to do this now. I'll go get him."

She walked back to Han's cabin and called out his name.

"Han? Are you in here? What's taking so long?"

He wasn't in the bedroom and when she pushed the door to the 'fresher open, he wasn't there either. Before allowing herself to panic, Leia walked through the ship, triple checking the cockpit, before returning to the kitchen. Han wasn't in the Falcon.

Chewie growled out.

"Where is he?"

Leia appeared frazzled, but it was Threepio who spoke from the doorway.

"Master Solo is gone. I saw him leave just a few minutes ago."


	13. Chapter 13

"Gone? What do you mean gone?"

Chewie was furious.

"Oh yes. I don't think he saw me, but I distinctly remember seeing him leave."

Chewie and Leia looked exasperated, but Luke looked thoughtful.

"I think Han might have remembered something."

Leia got excited. "What do you mean?"

"I'm not sure what it is, but something stood out to him and he acted."

Chewie groaned in annoyance.

"Why didn't he tell us?"

"You know him. He probably just got fed up with everything and decided to take off on his own."

"I'm going to kill him." Leia started pacing the floor furiously.

"What are we supposed to do now? He didn't even let us plan anything."

Luke laughed, but recoiled when Leia glared at him.

"When has anything we've ever done gone according to plan?"

She ignored him.

"We'll have to go after him. Stupid, ignorant-"

"Don't worry," Luke looked pleased with himself. "I know exactly where he's headed."

* * *

><p>Han had been in the 'fresher, trying to avoid thinking of Leia, when an image popped up in his mind of the old woman he and Leia had seen the night before. There had been something familiar about her, but at the time he couldn't put his finger on it. Then Leia had kissed him and nothing else had seemed important.<p>

Standing under the gush of water, Han remembered a scene previously lost to him. He had been in the bar in town, heading out of the 'fresher when he ran into that same woman. She was acting strangely, going on about something about forgetting someone. Probably Leia. But why?

He couldn't remember, but he knew the woman had to be involved somehow.

He had raced out of the 'fresher, dressed, and left without telling anyone because he thought it might be easier to contact the woman without anyone else around. She had run when Chewie had appeared last time.

He had acted on sheer impulse, but now that he was on his way, he felt a lot of reluctance build up. While she posed no physical threat, she obviously had some sort of powers that held an advantage over him. Han was quick with a blaster, but he wasn't so sure he could actually use it when he was faced by a seemingly unguarded elderly woman.

But he was ready for this ordeal to be over, and nothing was going to get done just by sitting around and talking about doing something. Maybe he would find the woman and she would be apologetic, fix him, and they could go their separate ways. But when had anything ever gone easy for him?

Han let out a frustrated groan. He was going to head towards the bar and stop in every nook and cranny looking for that old, damned woman.

* * *

><p>Leia had been ready to go the instant she learned Han had left the ship, but Luke and Chewie reminded her that she hadn't exactly been wearing pants. This whole situation was throwing her off. She always felt completely in control, but now it was like the organized part in her had faded with Han's memories.<p>

She had no idea what to make of his forgetting her but remembering everything and everyone else, as she had gone into the situation thinking she would have to do severe damage control. She had been so distracted in the bar by Han's flirtations with that other woman that she hadn't been paying attention to any odd behavior that was going on around her, and usually she was the first to notice. The elderly woman in the alleyway had disappeared right under all of their noses before Leia could have offered her any help, and she had practically forced herself on Han, feeling the urge to kiss him become entirely too overwhelming.

And now she wasn't wearing any pants.

She blamed Han utterly and completely for all of it. Especially the no pants.

Once he returned to his old form, she would not let him forget about this for a long time. All things considered, she thought she was being fairly reasonable and calm as one could be in this situation, but the moment he left, something cracked in her.

Leia decided then that the moment she figured out who was behind all of this maniacal behavior, _she _was going to be the one to bring him down. And she would not have mercy.

Stepping onto the ramp and outside the Falcon, she glared at Luke menacingly when she realized he still hadn't stopped laughing at her for forgetting her pants.

"Oh, shut up."

Chewie and Luke looked at one another and followed behind her as quickly as possible.

Once they had been walking for awhile, Luke questioned Leia and braced himself for her answer.

"Uh, Leia?"

She kept walking and without looking back, answered.

"What?"

"Do you know where we're going? Where Han is?"

"No."

"Well, I do. So how about you let me lead?"

She stopped abruptly, ushered Luke ahead with her hand, and once he had gained a small lead, followed again at a brisk pace.

Luke look concerned back at her.

"Is everything alright, Leia? You seem a little angry this morning."

"Everything is not alright, Luke, but thanks for asking."

"What-"

"Let's not talk about it right now, thank you. I just want to find my stupid boyfriend, stuff the memories back into his head, and go back home. Does that work for you?"

Luke nodded sheepishly while Chewie let out a soft chuckle. When Leia stopped walking again, he looked scared.

"Is something funny to you, Chewie?"

He shook his head.

"Good. Because none of this would have happened if you hadn't just left the bantha-brain behind on this Gods-forsaken planet. You know just as well as me the idiotic things he somehow gets himself into when left to his own devices." She paused for good measure. "Let's go."

Chewie looked like he very much wanted to point out the actual reason Han had stayed behind, that he had thought she was engaged to another man, but he didn't feel like undergoing anymore of her wrath. He had never been the one to suffer through it before, as he usually found it amusing when she went off on Han, but now he didn't find it the least bit funny. For such a small thing, she was very threatening.

Luke and Chewie walked with slightly less confidence than before, but Leia kept her chin high and eyes alert looking for Han around every corner.

Luke spoke reassuringly with a bit of hesitance.

"We'll find him, Leia."

She remained staring straight ahead.

"We better."

* * *

><p>Han stood in front of the alleyway he and Leia had found the night before. In the daylight, it wasn't as if it was scary, but he still felt hesitant to walk down it. Not knowing what the woman was capable of doing to him was much scarier than some chump threatening him with a blaster. He had apparently already forgotten so much, he didn't want to lose any more of it.<p>

But he was Han Solo and he needed to have a lot more confidence than he was feeling at the moment. He breathed in, and breathed out, then proceeded to walk the length of the alleyway. He paused before turning the corner, but found there was nothing there to be afraid of.

Nothing there at all.

Frustrated, he kicked the trash barrel over and headed back to the main part of town.

* * *

><p>"Luke, why are we walking away from town?"<p>

"Because this is where Han will end up, eventually."

Leia eyed him suspiciously.

"What do you mean eventually?"

"Does this look at all familiar to you?"

"No."

"Well it should."

She glared at him again. He turned to Chewie.

"Does this look familiar to _you _at all?"

Chewie took a moment to look around.

"Yes, it's where we found Han in the first place."

Luke gave Leia a pointed gaze. Apparently enjoying the payback from her attitude earlier.

She rolled her eyes.

"Well, excuse me for being a little distracted then. I was too busy focusing on Han than to look at what else was around me."

"A good observant notices everything around them. If you practiced like I told you, then you would have been able to focus on Han while observing your surroundings."

Leia took a step towards him, so Chewie spoke up quickly.

"Now do we just go looking for him down there?"

"Oh no. They'll come to us. We just have to wait a bit for them. Let's find somewhere to hide."

Leia looked up and down the road skeptically.

"What do you mean by them?"


	14. Chapter 14

It was about twenty minutes into his exploration of the town when Han decided that he hated this planet. There was nothing nice about it. The people were bland, and apparently mysteriously dangerous. There was a severe lack of storefronts, and the elderly population was somehow able to elude him.

After another hour of turning up nothing, with no one knowing who the woman in question was, Han decided to head back to the Falcon in a very bad mood. He was annoyed at his lack of progress, and also miffed that none of his friends had gone after him. Had they even noticed he had left?

He was about halfway back when he realized someone was following him. He didn't turn around because he was afraid that he might scare them off. His intuition told him that it was the woman, and he knew that he had to play it just right. He would allow her to come to him.

A few minutes later, Han stopped, pretending to need to rest. He made his way over to a rock on the side of the trail when the woman spoke to him.

"We're not there yet, Solo. Keep going and follow me."

Han was surprised that she knew that he knew she was following him. He was even more surprised that it seemed she was in complete control of the situation. Looking around, he took a deep breath and walked behind her. Neither spoke until they reached a small clearing surrounded by trees.

Han spoke first.

"Who are you?"

"I believe I told you before that it is unnecessary for you to know."

"What did you do to me?"

"I helped you."

"You took away my memories."

"Of the person who hurt you deeply, yes. That's what you wanted."

"I don't remember any of that crap! Why would I have wanted to get rid of my memories, huh? I'm pretty sure that I like them just the way they were."

"When I found you, you were lonely and miserable. I have only done what you asked."

Han looked around in bewilderment.

"Listen, you old crock pot. Put me back to normal or I'll-"

"Violence is not the answer, Solo. You're much too hasty with that blaster of yours. Besides, I think it's time you focus on who you're really upset with. That princess of yours."

Han tried to remain calm.

"But that's the thing, lady. I don't even remember why I'm supposed to be mad at her."

"Her engagement to another man."

"Maybe it's not even my place to be upset by that."

His doubtful tone questioned his credence.

"It is your place. Her Alliance sent you away on an unnecessary mission for six months. Away from her and any other contact to the outside world. While you sat and stewed, they brought in a prince who they believed was far more worthy of the princess of their New Republic. He swept her off her feet and now they'll be married. And you'll be left alone and rejected unless you listen to me."

Han was defensive.

"But she came after me. She's here now."

"One last act of kindness. She probably believed that once she helped you, she would no longer have to feel guilty."

Leia couldn't take it anymore. She watched as Han shook his head, dejected and uncertain. The woman was torturing him, the same old lady she had seen the night before laying helpless and poor in the dank alleyway. Not allowing the shock to suppress her, Leia focused on getting to Han and convincing him that none of it was true.

She had wanted to go to him when he first appeared, but Luke had held her back, saying it was important to wait. Leia no longer had any patience. She threw herself away from her hiding place behind the trees and ran towards where Han and the woman were standing.

"Han!"

She was quickly running towards him, but the woman was faster. Leia stopped abruptly, slamming into something that was invisible, but solid. She fell back with a thud.

Han watched in horrified amazement.

"Leia!"

The woman laughed.

"She cannot hear you."

He ran up to the barrier, trying to force his way through by any means. Leia sat up slowly, rubbing her head. She tried to tell Han that she was alright, but judging from the confused look on his face, realized he couldn't hear her. She gave him a small smile.

Leia put her hand up to Han's face, trying to tell him silently everything that she couldn't verbally. He still looked concerned.

When the woman spoke, it was as if he was pulled out of some trance.

"This is your last chance, Solo. I can help you to forget everything. You can go far away and never have to feel any pain from her betrayal."

Han turned away from Leia to look at the woman.

"It's too late. I already don't remember much of anything about her and it still hurts."

"That is of no concern. I can do it again. I can wipe your memory then transfer you far from here so you'll never have to see her again."

He looked at Leia again. She had been watching, glancing between them, sickened with fear over what she could not hear. She shook her head trying to figure out what was going on.

Without taking his eyes off Leia, Han responded.

"Say all of what you've told me is true. Which I'm still not sure about because none of it really seems to fit together. And I don't even know why you would want to 'help' me in the first place. But say it is true, and she does love this other guy. And she is gonna marry him. I-"

His voice faltered.

"I'd rather take the blow and remember what we had than never remember what she even looked like. Than never remember any of it."

The woman continued to stare at him for several seconds. She was sizing him up, measuring the truth to his words. Han stood up and faced her, staring back.

She smiled. It was neither evil nor entirely good.

"So be it."

All at once, several things occurred.

After the woman had spoken, Han fell immediately to the ground, passed out. Leia screamed as the protective barrier broke and she ran to him. Chewie and Luke came thundering from their hiding spot and grabbed the old woman.

As Leia sobbed over Han's unmoving body, pleading with him to get up, Luke questioned the woman.

"Who are you? Why are you here?"

The woman remained quiet until Leia stood up from Han's side and walked over to her.

"Why would you tell him all of this? It's not even true!"

"Part of it is true."

Leia was surprised by this.

"What do you mean? Which part?"

"They want him gone."

Leia was frustrated beyond belief, but needed to remain under the calm and collected diplomat demeanor that usually got her the answers she wanted.

"Who does?"

"It is not for me to say."

She gave the woman her best glare.

"Why should I even believe you? All you've done is harm him!"

Without hesitation or fear, the woman spoke.

"It is not me you should be afraid of."

And then she was gone.


	15. Chapter 15

Chewie, Luke, and Leia stood gaping at one another. The woman had disappeared on the spot, and they still hadn't gotten any information from her.

Leia spoke first.

"H-how did she do that?"

Chewie groaned in frustration and Luke looked slightly jealous.

"I have no idea, but that was impressive."

"Impressive? What do you mean-"

She was interrupted mid-thought by Chewie's reminder of Han's condition. Leia and Luke turned abruptly and all three ran to him.

Luke took Han's pulse.

"He's still alive and breathing. I think he's just knocked out."

Leia looked agonized.

"She did something to him."

"Yes, but I don't think we'll know what until he wakes up. There's no sign of physical damage."

"How can we get him up?"

"We'll just have to wait. I think we should go back to the ship. It's going to be dark soon and we won't be any help to Han here."

Chewie spoke up.

"I'll carry him. Let's get back there as soon as possible."

Luke lead Leia away as Chewie carefully picked up Han.

* * *

><p>Back in the ship, Han appeared to be sleeping peacefully as the others congregated in the kitchen. Chewie and Luke were having dinner, but Leia refused to eat.<p>

Luke took on the role of stern brother.

"You need to eat, Leia. We're going to need a lot of energy for what comes next."

"And what exactly comes next, Luke?"

"I don't know yet."

Leia made a noise in the back of her throat that sounded like "hmph," but she picked up a fork anyways. She was about to take a bite when she dropped the utensil.

"I think I'll just go check on Han again."

She went to stand up, but Chewie stopped her.

"He's still sleeping soundly. I promise you, when he's up we'll hear about it."

Finding she couldn't argue with this, she sat down again.

"What if more of Han's memories have been erased? What would we do about it? We found that woman, captured her, and we weren't able to solve anything."

Chewie growled sympathetically, clearly sharing the same fear, but Luke remained calm.

"I have a feeling that everything will be fine."

"How can you be so sure?"

"Because it's Han. Even if those memories are gone, he's still going to be the same person. He's just going to need a lot of convincing that we're not the bad guys. He'd probably run away, but we'd just keep on chasing after him."

He grinned at his joke, trying to reassure them, but Chewie and Leia did not seem placated.

"Right now, can you please just eat. We'll know soon enough."

They both did what they were told.

* * *

><p>It was decided that they would fly back to Coruscant now, without waiting to see about Han's condition. There was no point staying on this planet, as Luke felt the answers they were looking for all centered around home. Leia needed more convincing that it would be futile to go after the woman again, and finally relented when Chewie agreed with him.<p>

"I thought you were on my side, Chewie?"

She glared at him. Realizing there was no point in answering her, Chewie just shrugged.

"We'll get ready for takeoff if you want to go rest, Leia."

While this did not appear to be something that she wanted to do, Leia took the opportunity to check on Han.

"Alright. Let me know if you need any help."

Walking through the ship, Leia realized just how tired she was. Just that morning she had felt that everything was going to work out, and now she didn't know what to think. She stepped into Han's cabin, dressed quickly for sleep, and laid down next to his sleeping form. Laying her head on his shoulder and her hand on his chest, she found relief in feeling his chest rise and fall.

* * *

><p>Han was having the strangest dream.<p>

He was walking on a familiar path, from where he wasn't sure, but he definitely recognized the place. There was nothing but trees and rocks surrounding him, with the sky clear and blue above him. He didn't feel overwhelmingly happy or sad, he just was. Suddenly, he heard a soft, feminine voice calling to him, but he couldn't tell from what direction. He stopped walking and looked all around him. Between the trees, he saw a distinct human form covered by the shadows of the leaves above. He started to walk towards it, but then the person ran, and he staggered after her.

He called out.

"Wait!"

But the person didn't stop or look back. He kept running, blindly searching for the voice to be heard again so he could follow. He didn't know who she was, but he knew he desperately needed to find her. He stopped to listen carefully, and once more he heard the voice. She was saying his name.

He tried to yell again.

"Hey! Wait!"

He picked up speed, and the woman was now within sight. She stopped when reaching a rocky river. He pulled up behind her, out of breath. Looking at her now, he searched her face for recognition. She held a finger up to his face and traced a loving line down his cheek.

Her touch was electric, and the moment she cupped his cheek in her hand, he remembered.

The first time he met her, telling him to jump down the trash compactor. Her face when he told her he wasn't planning on staying. Her face again after he came back from destroying the death star. Her calling him a scruffy looking nerfherder and him finding her irresistible. Their first kiss in the belly of his ship. Her telling him she loved him. Then his rescue from Jabba's Palace, being able to see her again for the first time after being blinded by carbonite. After the Battle of Endor when they could finally be alone. The first time they made love, the last time they had made love, and everything in between.

Opening his eyes, Han yelled her name.

"Leia!"

Her eyes fluttered open in alarm and she sat up spluttering.

"Han? Are you ok?"

He smiled at her.

"What's wrong? Stop staring at me like that." She blushed.

"I remember."

"What?"

"I remember everything about you."

It took a moment for this to sink in.

"I-you do?"

He nodded and went to kiss her, but hesitated.

She drew her hand up to his face and traced the scar on his chin.

"What's wrong?"

He frowned.

"I remember everything."

She looked offended, but her tone was teasing.

"And why is that a bad thing?"

"Your prince," he said flatly.

She laughed then. Relief pouring through her.

"What's so funny?"

"It's just that, after all that's happened, I forgot the one thing I came here to do."

He looked at her questioningly.

"I'm not engaged, Han."

"But the news?"

"Yes, that was rather unfortunate, but they got it wrong. Someone has been setting us up for something, but I'm not quite sure what it is."

He looked even more confused.

"I'll explain everything later, I promise. Just, not right now."

She smiled shyly at him and reached up to kiss him, but he stopped her.

"Wait, so there is no Isolder?"

"No, there _is _an Isolder."

"Is he a prince?"

She laughed at the way his lip curled in disgust as he said it.

"Yes."

"Did he propose to you?"

"Yes."

He moved away from her more.

"But I said no!"

"Why did he propose to you in the first place? Were you two-?"

"No! It wasn't like that at all. We had to spend time together for diplomatic reasons, but it was never romantic. And we were never alone together. The proposal was as random to me as it was to you. Again, there's something suspicious going on there, but we don't know what it is yet."

Han let this information sink in for awhile. Leia sat patiently, waiting for him to catch up.

He looked down, but spoke in his most cocksure voice. "So you do still love me?"

Leia turned serious.

"Always."

He smirked.

"Good."

"Han!"

He looked at her innocently.

"What?"

"Just kiss me."

He leaned forward and paused teasingly, his lips hovering over hers. She reached her head up to meet his and kissed him, hard and passionate. They stayed like that, relishing in the feeling of being together again, with both of their memories intact.

Han broke the kiss, taking a moment to breathe. Leia leaned against him, content.

"Leia?"

"Hmm?"

"I love you."

She smirked before pulling him down on top of her and kissing him once more.


	16. Chapter 16

They didn't leave the cabin for the entire trip back to Coruscant. Leia tried once to get up to tell the others that Han was alright, but he refused to let her leave his side.

"Han, we need to tell them you're ok."

He just looked at her.

"But I guess they can wait."

He pulled her back down onto the bed, kissed the top of her head, and curled his arms around her. She turned herself around to rest her head on his chest. Lying in his arms, she felt the tug of her eyelids pulling her towards sleep, but she wanted to stay awake, at least for a little while. It had been so long since she had seen him and actually spent time together as a couple. She wanted to know more about his and Chewie's trip, hoping that she could fit the pieces together.

"Han?"

"Hm?"

He sounded as though he was falling asleep as well.

"What happened on your trip?"

He paused to think back on the past six months.

"A lot of nothin' actually. We kept waiting, but nothing happened. But the Alliance told us we couldn't leave until the six months were up."

"That's very strange. You didn't see anything?"

"Nope."

"Who exactly assigned you to the mission?"

"I dunno. One of the higher ups. Why? What do you think is going on?"

"I think someone is blatantly trying to get you out of the way."

He smirked.

"Someone probably has a crush on you, sweetheart."

She frowned.

"Bad enough to send you away on a meaningless trip, try to get me engaged to a prince, and have someone erase your memory of only me."

"Saying it out loud makes it sound a lot worse. We'll figure it out though. Now that we're actually together, it's gonna be harder to pull us apart."

"I hope so. I just wish we knew what or who we're up against. At least with the Empire we had a definitive target. Now anyone could be the enemy."

"All I want to know is what the hell was up with that old woman. What happened with her by the way? What did you guys do with her?"

Leia blushed.

"Well, we don't know exactly what happened. She sort of just disappeared."

"What do you mean disappeared? How?"

"I have no idea. But when you went down, Chewie and Luke grabbed her. She told us that she wasn't the one to worry about and then she was gone."

Han frowned.

"So you just let her go? She could have been lying."

"Yes, that's true, but we don't think she's the main concern. She has certainly caused problems, but I don't think it was her idea."

Han was defensive.

"It wasn't your brain she messed around with."

Leia gave him a sympathetic look.

"I know, I'm sorry. It wasn't easy for me either though. You have no idea what it was like to have you here with me and not be able to be with you."

"How did you contain yourself from jumping on me? Oh, that's right. You couldn't."

He winked at her and she swatted his shoulder.

"Oh, shut up."

Han continued laughing as Leia glared at him, but she couldn't stay serious for too long and joined him. She sat up and looked at him.

"I missed you."

He reached up and cupped her chin.

"I missed you too, princess."

Pulling her head down to meet his, Han kissed her. Sweet and slow, they took time to truly reacquaint themselves with one another.

Han broke the kiss.

"Sweetheart?"

Rather than answer, she kissed him right beneath his ear.

"Sweetheart-Leia, I'm kind of starving here."

She smiled at him.

"I think you can wait a few more minutes."

* * *

><p>They didn't move from the room until Chewie came hollering, telling them that they were getting ready to land.<p>

Han gave Leia a confused look.

"You'd think he'd ask about me, wouldn't you?"

Leia laughed until Chewie yelled from the other room.

"You two have been pretty obvious that everything is fine."

Han wiggled his eyebrows at her, while Leia blushed.

"When I find out who is behind all of this-"

He shook his head.

"You just better hope that they're not elderly."

Han was speechless as Leia hopped up from the bed and dressed. He followed her lead, and then they joined Chewie and Luke in the cockpit.

Han groaned when he realized Threepio was in there as well.

"By the way, whose bright idea was it to invite the professor on this trip? If you wanted to show more sympathy for my condition, then you should have left him behind."

Luke laughed.

"Threepio's the one who told us you left yesterday, Han."

"You would have figured it out eventually. Threepio why don't you go and make sure everything's clean and orderly. Don't want to leave a messy ship behind."

Threepio went immediately to leave as he said, "Yes, Master Solo, right away."

"The other droid probably would have been way more helpful. Where is he by the way?"

"I left R2 behind to act as a sort of spy for me while we were away. I'm hoping that whoever is behind all of this will be less cautious of a droid than if I were the one tittering around."

Han grumbled before taking his seat in the pilot's chair. "Alright, let's land her, Chewie."

He looked out the cockpit window and sighed.

"Finally home. I guess we shouldn't expect a nice welcome."

They all laughed.

Han spoke into the system.

"This is Han Solo, Captain of the Millennium Falcon, looking for landing clearance."

"All set, General Solo. Land on tarmac three."

After landing, Han needed to pack up the ship. It had been a long six months and he was looking forward to not having to keep all of his things in such a small space. As much as he loved the Falcon, it was nice to have a larger space to live in. Not to mention, he got to share the apartment with Leia. When he left his cabin, he found Leia waiting for him at the top of the ramp.

She smiled at him.

"Ready to go home?"

He kissed her and took her hand.

"You have no idea."

When they got to the end of the ramp, they found Luke, Chewie, and Threepio waiting at the bottom, met by a group of security guards. Leia tightened her grip on his hand.

Han questioned, "What's the issue here, guys? They told me it was ok to land her here."

One of the guards spoke up.

"General Han Solo?"

"Yeah?"

"Come with us, please. You're under arrest."


	17. Chapter 17

Chewbacca growled while Han and Luke stared at the guards in outrage. Leia, however, remained calm. She spoke to them in her best diplomatic voice.

"Excuse me, but what exactly are the charges against General Solo?"

The guard, who had originally ordered Han's arrest, appeared to be frightened by the looks of anger on their faces and hesitated in his response.

"Uh- for kidnapping the Princess Leia Organa, Your Highness." He bowed.

Leia smiled at him kindly.

"Then you must see that I am alright, and the charges must be dropped immediately."

The guard looked confused.

"I'm sorry ma'am, but I can't change the orders. I'm not in charge!"

"I see. Well, can you please inform me of who is in charge? I must tell them straight away that General Solo did not in fact kidnap me, but that I went willingly away with Chewbacca here to retrieve him from another planet."

Chewie tried to tell them that if anyone were to be charged with kidnapping it would be him, considering he was the one who had flown her off planet, but none of the guards understood what he was saying, and most drew back alarmed.

"M-ma'am, please tell that thing not to threaten us! We're only doing our jobs!"

Leia spoke sternly, chastising him like a mother would.

"That _thing _happens to be my friend, and he is not threatening anyone."

Chewie growled that he was in fact threatening them, but Leia hushed him and turned back to the guard. She continued.

"He is merely reiterating the fact that this was not a kidnapping. Now, how about we all head back to the main headquarters together and see if we can't straighten this out."

She smiled brilliantly at them.

"And I am sure that we do not need such a large amount of guards with us as we will come with you willingly. Isn't that right?"

She turned to Han, Luke, and Chewie and glared at them to oblige. They remained staring at her in surprise, but didn't say anything. Leia spoke again.

"I believe that you will suffice."

She turned to Threepio.

"Threepio?"

"Yes, Mistress Leia?"

"Please go back to the apartment until further notice."

"Yes, ma'am. Right away!"

They watched him leave. She turned to the rest of them.

"Shall we go then?"

The guard looked dubious, but listened to her. She was in fact the princess. He sent the rest of the guards on their way and went to handcuff Han.

Han struggled in protest, but Leia hushed him.

"I do believe that handcuffing the general is rather unnecessary."

Han glowered at the guard, who on closer examination looked just like a little boy playing dress up in his father's uniform.

"I think I'd be a bit more comfortable if he was handcuffed."

She smiled again.

"Yes, I know General Solo has quite the reputation, but I promise you he will remain on his best behavior."

"I-I guess. You go ahead first. I need to keep my eye on all of you." He seemed to be regretting his decision to let the rest of his guards go.

When the guard was out of earshot, Han walked closer to Leia.

"Uh, sweetheart?"

"Yes, Han?"

"Why are we playing nice here exactly? I can just stun him and we can be on our way."

"Because, I don't want to cause anymore damage. Obviously, there are charges against you that are not legitimate, so we don't want to just hand them something that is."

"So we're just going to walk in there willingly and let them persecute me?"

"They can't do anything to you without evidence. Just consider yourself lucky that the alleged kidnapped victim is on your side."

She turned to Luke.

"You told me that the Alliance was unhappy with me leaving, but you failed to mention the extent with which they wanted to carry this. Kidnapping! Why didn't you tell me?"

"Because I didn't know at the time. I should have realized before we got off the ship, but at that point there really wasn't anything I could do. I'm sorry, Han, but I think Leia's right. The best way to deal with this is to go along with it."

Han and Chewie shook their heads in frustration.

"Thank you, Chewie. At least one of you seems to understand the insanity of this."

Leia gave him an agitated look.

"We're not saying this isn't insane, Han. It's just that we can't just go in there blasters blazing. We need to figure out who exactly is behind all of this, and it will be difficult to do so if we blindly attack."

While Han privately saw reason in her words, he was annoyed at the situation and needed an outlet. He chose not to respond to her, telling himself that he was dignified in being upset with her.

Mumbling mostly to himself, Han said, "I bet it was your stupid prince."

"I am inclined to believe that Isolder is not behind this. I think he is being used just as much as the rest of us."

Han was appalled.

"Just as much as the rest of us? Excuse me, Your Highness, but I'm pretty sure the worst thing that happened to him was being accused of being engaged to you! He didn't get sent on a useless mission away from all civilization. He didn't get his memory erased by some fruitless, old witch! But let's give him all the sympathy!"

He stormed ahead of her.

"There's no need to be angry with me. I'm just telling you all the facts. And you're not the only one who was victimized in all of this, Han, so please stop acting like a selfish, nerfherding idiot and try to act like a civilized adult!"

He spoke through gritted teeth.

"Whatever you say, Your Majesty," and gave her a little bow.

"Maybe I will tell them you kidnapped me! Then you can see how to get out of that!"

The guard came rushing up behind them.

"What was that, Your Highness?"

Leia's cheeks were rosy and she felt flustered with anger at Han.

"What? Oh, nothing. I didn't say anything."

"Oh, ok. Don't walk too far ahead of me. I'll call for backup and handcuff him if I feel like you're trying to plan something."

Leia smiled deviously.

"You know, if you do feel more comfortable, I think it would be alright if you wanted to handcuff General Solo. There's really no saying what he's capable of."

Han looked astounded.

"Of all things, Princess, I didn't think-"

"Please, Han, the guard here needs your cooperation.

The guard walked cautiously over to Han and attempted to handcuff him, but the look on Han's face told him not to cross that line.

"On second thought, I think it will be fine without the cuffs. We're almost there anyways." He walked closer to Leia.

Han turned to Luke.

"What happened to your sister in the past five minutes?"

"Just trust her, Han. She knows what she's doing."

"Yeah, sure. Hey, guard! What exactly are we gonna do once we get there anyways? What am I in store for?"

The guard did not look too happy that Han was speaking to him, but answered.

"I'm afraid you'll have to spend at least the night in the prison."

Han was horrified.

"What!"

"I-I'm sorry, but the council who will try you is away, and we won't know when they'll be back. It could be days. Probably not weeks."

Han spoke directly to Leia.

"And what exactly are we supposed to do about this, princess?"

Leia looked just as taken aback.

"Everyone is away? There's really no one we can ask to look at this case?"

"I'm sorry, ma'am, but my hands are tied."

"Why didn't you mention this back at the ship?"

The guard blushed.

"I was afraid you wouldn't come."

"There must be something we can do."

"I'm afraid not, ma'am. I'm sorry. He'll just have to wait it out."

While Leia and the guard conversed, Han decided to take action into his own hands.

"Uh, Luke."

"Yes, Han?"

"Can you, uh, go up with Leia and the guard and see if you can put some sense into them."

Luke looked at Han knowingly.

"Don't do anything stupid, Han."

But then he smirked and walked up to join his sister.

"Chewie!" Han let out a harsh whisper. "Chewie come 'ere."

"What cub?"

"We need to get out of here. I'm not staying in that krethin' prison."

"What about the others? Are you going to leave the princess?"

"I'm not gonna leave her Chewie, we'll just go find somewhere to hide out and then we can let them know when we think it's safe for them to join us. She'll be fine with Luke. They're not the ones they're after. It's probably best to just have us go right now anyways."

* * *

><p>Leia was feeling guilty about losing her temper with him, and now spoke tenderly.<p>

"Han, I think we were able to work out a solution. You don't have to go to the prison area, we'll just have to stay on the headquarters' grounds, but at least we'll be comfortable. I'll be there with you, so it won't be all bad. Han?"

They all turned around, but Han and Chewie were gone. The guard looked around bewildered and terrified by his mistake. Luke smiled to himself. Leia was fuming.

"That scoundrel! I'm going to kill him!"


	18. Chapter 18

Han was already feeling guilty for leaving Leia behind. It hadn't been her fault they ran into all of this trouble, and she was only trying to solve things smoothly. He just wasn't used to doing things in such a proper way. His thoughts were filled with doubts on what to do from here and the only viable option he could think of was getting back to Leia and Luke.

He and Chewie had reached a small bridge where they could pull over and get their bearings.

Chewie spoke first.

"Where do you want to go, cub? The Falcon and your apartment are off limits at this point. I'm sure they'll have guards check there immediately."

"Uh, I was actually thinkin' we should head back. We don't know what's going on or where to go, and I'd rather be with Leia if we're screwed anyways."

"You're going to hand yourself over?"

"No! I just don't want her thinking I left her, that's all. We'll come up with a plan of attack. It's just one guy anyways."

Neither mentioned the fact that there was most likely way more than one guard at this point, but they let it go unsaid.

"What do you think is going on anyways? Where are all the delegates?"

"I have no idea, but right now I don't give a damn."

"I think you're somehow involved in this, cub."

Han looked indignant.

"Me? I didn't do nothin'!"

"I didn't say you did anything, I just think they're going after you."

Now he was sarcastic.

"You don't say? Alright, let's just go back there and see where they went."

Chewie did not look like he supported the plan, but followed his friend regardless.

* * *

><p>The guard was furious.<p>

"Was this your plan all along? Oh! How could I have been _so _stupid."

Leia was equally as mad.

"I can assure you that this was certainly not the plan."

"Well, we need to find them immediately! We'll just have to head back to headquarters so we can put more men on the squad to find them."

Luke spoke calmly.

"I don't think that's necessary. You're more than capable of finding them. I mean, how difficult could it be to distinguish a lumbering wookiee from the crowd? Besides, if they find out that you dismissed your crew in the first place, and then lost your prisoner, you'll be in a lot of trouble. Much better to find them yourself. We'll help you."

The guard was nervously weighing the options in his head. He wasn't overly trusting of the Jedi, but with the princess around, he was sure she wouldn't pull any funny business.

"Alright I guess. Just, don't let them hurt me or anything."

"Oh don't worry. When we find them, the only person who is going to get hurt will be the general himself."

With that, Leia turned and started the search for Han and Chewie.

They walked in silence for a bit, until Leia's curiosity took hold.

"Excuse me, I don't believe we were ever properly introduced. I'm Leia Organa, this is my brother Luke Skywalker, and you are?"

"Stephan, ma'am."

"Well, Stephan, it's very nice to meet you. I was just wondering if you could inform me about what has been going on with the Alliance these past few days. As I've been away, it seems like there's been a lot of changes. I'm sure someone of your standard would know the happenings."

Her smile assured him.

"I'm surprised you don't know! The entire planet, along with the Hapan Cluster, has been busy preparing for your wedding to the Prince Isolder! That's where most of our delegates have gone, to make arrangements!"

Leia stopped still.

"W-what? I'm not engaged!"

The guard looked confused.

"They made a formal announcement just a few days ago."

"The news was incorrect, I assure you."

"The news broke the story first, but then there was a formal announcement made by Mon Mothma and the prince himself! They declared that the general had kidnapped you and if anyone was aware of your whereabouts to inform them immediately!"

Leia was shocked and speechless.

"Mon and Isolder said all of this? But, she told me- I- what exactly is going on here?"

Luke was deep in concentration.

"Leia, I'm picking up some very strange feelings. Stephan, you want to head back to your apartment immediately and stay there. Do not tell anyone what happened here."

"Luke, I hardly think that's going to work-"

But then Stephan nodded and left abruptly.

"You force tricked him! Luke, what's going on?"

"I have the same feelings I did when Han's mind was altered. Leia, I believe someone has put Alliance members under some sort of trance."

"Trance? What do you mean?"

"I'm not sure what it means. But I do believe Han is in considerable danger. He was right to run, I'm just afraid that he doesn't know just how cautious he has to be."

"He's doomed."

* * *

><p>Han and Chewie stealthily crept back to where they had originally left Leia, Luke, and the guard, only to find it abandoned.<p>

"You don't think they went to headquarters do you?"

Chewie looked dubious.

"I don't know. We could try comming them."

"Great idea, except I left mine on the ship. I wasn't planning on talking to anyone who wasn't already with me for a very long time. You don't have yours?"

"Where would I carry it?"

"Alright, alright. Let's think here. If you were the princess and you were mad because your boyfriend just ran away from you, what would you do?"

"Tear your limbs off?" Chewie chuckled to himself.

"Shut it, furball. We need to focus. My guess is they ditched the guard somehow, probably some force thing of Luke's, and went after us. They must have gone the opposite way though. What about Lando?"

"What about him?"

"We could go there. He could at least tell us what's been going on these past few days. And Luke will probably be able to tell that we're there. Maybe they're already there."

He looked hopeful, but also a little afraid of reuniting with Leia.

"She's gonna kill you."

Han didn't respond, but swallowed hard.

The two stood in silence, contemplating their options.

"Chewie, I'm afraid Lando might be our only option at this point. When we get there, if the others aren't there yet, we can comm them and have us meet them somewhere else. I'm sure Luke would be better at hiding than we could. It won't do us any good to try and fit in with the crowd considering how recognizable you are."

Chewie growled his agreement.

"I guess it's just you and me again, pal. Ready?"

Chewie nodded.

"Good. Let's go."

* * *

><p>Luke stopped walking and Leia almost slammed into him.<p>

"What's wrong? Is it Han?"

"They're fine right now. But I think they're planning on going to Lando's."

"Is that not a good thing? They're friends!"

"When I try to get a read on Lando, it's all fuzzy. I think his mind has been plagued too."

"You don't think it's the same old woman who erased Han's memories do you?"

"I have no idea at this point. I think we should try to get to Lando's before the others do so we can talk some sense into him, try to get his mind back to normal."

He looked pained for a minute.

"What is it now?"

"It's just, if we don't get there first, Han's in big trouble."

The color drained from Leia's face.

* * *

><p>Han and Chewie were careful walking through the streets without being recognized. They were able to avoid most contact with people as it was, fortunately, a quick trip to Lando's apartment.<p>

They stood at the door, but Chewie was unhappy.

"What's wrong? It's Lando. I'm sure he'll let us in."

"I distinctly remember the last time you said that. Don't you?"

Han hesitated.

"Of course I do, but his hands were tied at that point. Besides, we've smoothed things over. It's been a long time."

"I don't know, cub."

"What else do you suggest we do?"

"I don't know that either."

"Chewie!"

"Keep your voice down. We're trying to remain conspicuous."

But Chewie's orders didn't matter at this point, the door was already opening.

"I'm sure it will be fine, Chewie." He didn't sound convinced.

The door opened to show Lando staring at them.

"Lando! Miss me, buddy? It's been awhile."

Han's smile at seeing his friend again faltered when he saw the glazed look in Lando's eyes.

"What's wrong with you?"

Lando's answer was brief and simple.

"Nothing."

Han and Chewie looked at one another.

"Please, come in."

They didn't like how formal the baron was being.

"You know what? I just realized we have to be somewhere. Chewie-"

"Don't be ridiculous. Come on in. Luke and Leia are already here."

Han and Chewie had turned to leave, but stopped immediately.

"Alright."

Chewie hesitated to follow, but found there was nothing else he could do.

Han called out to them.

"Leia? Luke?"

"Not so much, Solo."

Han went down, stunned.


	19. Chapter 19

Luke's constant pausing was getting on Leia's nerves. All she wanted was to get to Lando's as soon as possible so she could be with Han again. She felt more in control when he was with her, and the not knowing was driving her insane.

"Luke, what's the matter now? We really need to get a move on."

Luke was pale as he spoke.

"There's been a change of plan. We're not going to Lando's."

"Why not?"

"The Alliance beat us there and Han and Chewie followed shortly after. They've been captured and taken to headquarters."

Leia stood stock still. Every time she thought things were getting better, it got so much worse. It was bad enough that Han was arrested in the first place, but now that he had tried to escape, there was no telling what he was in store for. She wasn't sure she'd be able to get him out of this.

"Are they hurt?"

"No, just stunned. Han is at least. I'm trying to get a clearer read on Chewie, but I'm not sure he's with Han anymore."

"What do you mean? Why did they separate?"

"I'm not sure. As far as I can tell Han is being taken to the prison and Chewie has run off somewhere else."

"I'm afraid of what might happen when he's left alone. He doesn't have the best track record."

All Leia wanted to do was sit down where she was and cry. She had convinced herself that she was finally going to be able to go home and spend time with Han, and now all hope was drained from her.

"I think we have a long night ahead of us."

Luke frowned.

"I hope that's all it takes to figure it out."

* * *

><p>When Han was captured, he yelled to Chewie to get out and find Luke and Leia. The wookiee had only left his friend's side because they both knew he would be no help if they were both captured. Han would be more grateful that Chewie protected Leia than if he got himself arrested. Han was dragged to headquarters. There were faces he recognized in the group that were escorting him, but their faces didn't seem to show any recognition or care towards him.<p>

"Can someone just tell me what the hell is going on here? Why am I even being arrested?"

"General Solo, you have been arrested because of your kidnapping of the Princess Leia Organa and will suffer significant punishment."

"Great. I was just thinking how weird it was that my life might actually be normal for a few days. What punishment exactly?"

"That is up to the higher officials of the Alliance to decide. I was merely told to bring you to them."

"I thought they were all off-planet."

"They received the news of your landing and have returned."

Han didn't say anything else. He was just getting tired of having to deal with it. He didn't even do what he was allegedly being arrested for. At this point, kidnapping Leia and taking her far from here didn't sound like a bad idea.

Han was dragged through the doors of headquarters and taken in front of a large group of people. To his great surprise, he saw who was apparently in charge of the council.

"Rieekan. Mothma."

He nodded at them. They both had that same far-off look in their eyes. He just hoped Chewie had found Luke and Leia and that they would figure out what to do. And soon. Chewie would know to tell them about the odd behavior, if they didn't already know.

Han was shoved forcefully to his knees.

"Don't speak, Solo."

"Wouldn't dream of it."

He was shoved again. This time, Han decided to keep quiet until they said what they needed to.

Rieekan spoke.

"General Han Solo?"

"You know who I am."

He was hit from behind.

"No need to be smart. Answer the question."

Han turned to see who exactly this guard was and was surprised to see he wasn't with the Alliance. Must be one of the Hapans.

"Yeah?"

"You are under arrest for the kidnapping of the Princess of Alderaan, and for your failure to comply with the law. Is that understood?"

Han didn't think there was a point to arguing.

"Sure."

"For the time being, you will spend your time in the Alliance prison. We will re-adjourn in about a week's time from now."

"Why so long, _general_?"

"The members of the Alliance and city of Coruscant have much more important matters to attend to."

"Oh yeah? And what could be more important than my immediate persecution?"

"The wedding of Princess Leia and Prince Isolder."

Han laughed humorlessly.

"I'm telling you, she ain't getting married."

"Oh, I am quite certain that she is. Tomorrow in fact."

Han was speechless.

"Tomorrow? As in the day after today? Does the princess know about this?"

"Because of your ruthless kidnapping, the princess hasn't been allowed to plan her own wedding; however, we are quite sure she will be thrilled with the accommodations we have made."

Han was getting tired of this.

"Why so soon?"

"We'd rather it happen while we have you in custody, so there will not be any unexpected and unwanted interferences."

"It's not gonna happen whether I'm there or not. I can promise you that much."

Mon Mothma interrupted.

"That is enough. General Solo, you are now our captive and we do not need to tell you anything. Guards, take him to the prison!"

Han was once again dragged away.

* * *

><p>It hadn't taken Chewie long to find Luke and Leia because they had all congregated towards headquarters. They now stood outside, attempting to figure out where to go from here.<p>

Luke was speaking.

"We know about the weird eye thing, Chewie. We think it's very similar to what happened to Han, in that their minds were altered. I know it seems like a lot, but all someone would have to do is get to the higher officials as they have a lot of influence on the rest of the city. Whoever is in charge of all of this has very strong and powerful control. We'll all have to be very cautious so that none of us are affected."

He looked particularly at Leia when he said this.

"I'll be fine."

"I know you can hold your own, but they're going to be after you, Leia. You're they key to all of this. Once they have you under their control, it's over."

"What exactly do you want me to do?"

"I know you've never been overly fond of using your force potential, but you're going to need to use it to stay in control of your mind. For Han."

Leia's look of concern was replaced with a renewal of strength as she thought of what lay ahead.

"Ok. What's the plan?"

Luke hesitated.

"What?"

"Leia, I think our only chance lies in you pretending to go along with everything."

"Are you crazy? I'm not-"

"If they believe you're already entranced, they'll be less likely to strike again. If you play along with it, you'll be an inside source to the center of the problem!"

"And what exactly is it that I have to go along with?"

"The preparations for your 'wedding.'"

Leia looked outraged.

"They're planning my wedding? They have no right-"

She blushed when Luke and Chewie looked at her skeptically. She continued.

"At least they're still in the preparation stage. I suppose I can fake that. How long do we have?"

Luke was afraid to answer. He turned grave.

"The wedding's tomorrow."


	20. Chapter 20

Leia sat in the meeting alert and observant, but no one seemed capable of discussing anything other than the wedding preparations. It was as if their minds were only engrained with information on the wedding and nothing else. Leia was finding it increasingly difficult to match their enthusiasm. They kept asking her how she felt upon her return, apparently afraid that she had suffered some great ordeal that she would never recover from.

In fact, she did feel slightly scarred, but not because of any alleged kidnapping. It was them who were currently making her suffer, and it was taking every fiber of her being to prevent herself from strangling each and every one of them.

Whenever someone mentioned Han, she had tried not to react in a way that would seem like she was worried or cared for him, but she wasn't sure how much danger he was in at the moment. As far as she knew, he was currently in a prison cell, safe for the moment, although that offered her little comfort.

It was making her sick whenever they would "aw" and "ooh" over the prince. She had asked about his whereabouts, but all they had told her was that it wasn't lucky for the groom and bride to see each other the day before their wedding. Luckily, the look of pure terror on her face was mistaken as sorrow for being apart from him.

She was agitated that no one here seemed to know much of anything, let alone actually be in charge of such an operation, but they wouldn't let her leave. She had to sit through countless dress fittings and make-up preparation. The only way she survived was to think of what her wedding day with Han would be like. She couldn't help the dreamy look that appeared on her face as she thought about what he would look like in a suit.

A knock on the door shook her from her thoughts. Leia tried to stand up, but the cosmetician shoved her back down.

"Stay still, deary."

Leia tried not to glare.

"Excuse me, General Riekkan?"

The general, who had been having a very excitable conversation with Mon about flower arrangements, abruptly switched into his military mode.

"Yes, Captain?"

"Solo is causing quite a stir down in the prison area. He seems under the impression that the princess will not be married to the prince tomorrow. He's already knocked out two of my guards. Why they keep going towards him is beyond me, but I was wondering if there was anything we could do. I suggest sedating him. I personally would do the honors."

Leia tried not to look horrified or too interested about the happenings below.

General Riekkan looked thoughtful.

"No, no. I do not believe sedating him will fix anything. It will only subdue the behavior for a short time. Yes, I think it would be best if we showed Solo the truth. Leia?"

"Y-yes, Carlist?"

"Do you feel as though you are well enough to speak to the general? I know he has put you through an awful lot, but he is still under some deluded impression that the two of you are lovers."

Leia's stomach turned at the disdain in Riekkan's voice. He had always been fond of Han.

"I-yes, I think I can manage. What exactly would you like me to do? I can go down there."

She tried not to sound hopeful, but she wanted to see him on her own. To explain to him what they were doing.

"Oh, no. It is not necessary to take you away from your plans. We will escort the prisoner here. I think it will be quite effective if he can see all the determination you are putting in this wedding."

He smiled warmly at her. Leia looked in his eyes, the glossiness of them the only thing that kept her from blaming him for all of this. Riekkan was not acting on his own accord.

She took a deep breath.

"Alright."

"Excellent. Captain, make sure you have a larger group of guards for Solo this time, won't you? We don't need him slipping away again."

He turned back to Leia.

"I know that we have been harping on and on about tradition all day, but I was thinking, would it not make a greater statement if Solo saw you and Isolder together?"

"To-together?"

"Yes, to show him how in love the two of you are."

"I think I'd rather follow tradition actually-"

"No need. It was silly anyways. I'll have someone go and retrieve Isolder from his own preparations."

Leia's heart dropped in her stomach. How could she convince the Alliance that she was desperately in love with Isolder while simultaneously convincing Han that none of this was true? He had already been through so much, she was afraid that he might not be able to take much more.

* * *

><p>Luke and Chewie made their way through headquarters. There was a surprising lack of people walking around. It seemed that everyone was deeply invested in preparing for the wedding. Luke no longer allowed himself to worry about it, he needed to focus on finding the source of all the difficulties.<p>

"Chewie. I know that this person is here right now. I just can't tell who it is."

"The woman?"

"No, she's not here. I don't think she was ever that big of a concern. There's a different energy. I just need to pinpoint it."

"What's the issue? Why is it taking longer than usual?"

"I think even though I haven't been entranced, the bleary minds of all those around me are interfering. If I could just get a clear read!"

Even Luke was becoming frustrated.

* * *

><p>"Leia!"<p>

Leia heard him before she saw him. She looked up to see Han staring at her, measuring her up and down to make sure she was alright. She almost smiled. She turned to Riekkan instead, afraid if she looked Han in the eye, she wouldn't be able to do what she needed.

"Leia, is there anything you want to say to General Solo here?"

He was handcuffed and held on each side, with a contingent of security guards surrounding him. She walked towards him and begged her knees not to give out. He had taken much worse torture, but she was never the one who had to give it to him before.

Her voice was barely a whisper.

"Yes."

Han looked up at her expectantly. Clearly waiting for her to fix all this and bring him home. She took a deep breath to keep from crying. Everyone in the room was staring.

"Han?"

"Leia." His voice was calm, but the tone was telling her to hurry up.

She stared at his forehead. The exact place where his hair curled over the top of his head.

"Isolder and I are to be married tomorrow."

He didn't say anything.

"It's time for you to let go. We never-" her voice caught in her throat. "We were never anything more than friends. I'm afraid your delusions have carried you too far this time."

He stared at her.

"I don't believe you."

Out of the corner of her eye, Leia saw Isolder come in. Han stepped towards him in anger, but the guards kept him in check.

"Leia! My darling, are you alright?"

She looked up at him. His eyes too appeared to be staring at something far off. He was not the culprit either.

"Yes."

"Leia?" Han questioned her, ready to be done with all of this.

She took Isolder's hand and pulled him closer to her. His hand, though smaller than Han's, did not seem to fit right with hers. She yearned for the warmth Han's always gave her.

"Isolder and I are marrying. I don't know what else to tell you."

Isolder smiled and pulled her against him. She almost recoiled in disgust, but refrained. She needed people to think she loved him.

"No." It was matter of fact.

Leia sighed, frustrated. She wished he would just pick up on her act and go along with it.

He spoke again.

"Look me in the eyes and tell me you don't love me."

"I-"

"Look at me."

She turned away from Isolder and stood directly in front of Han. She stared at his chest and thought of their time alone on the Falcon. Her eyes met his. She remembered telling him she loved him for the first time, he had known then.

Did he know now?

She lied, "I don't love you."

Her heart broke.


	21. Chapter 21

Han sat alone in his cell. The one guard left on duty had fallen asleep a long time ago. A lesser man than Han would have been defeated by now. His heart and mind had been tampered with countless times during the past few days and he was exhausted.

Now all he had to do was wait.

He just hoped Luke and Chewie knew what they were doing. But it wasn't them he was really waiting for.

In short of a few hours, the princess, _his _princess would be walking down the aisle towards another man. Han was no longer angry. He hadn't the strength to be mad. There was nothing he could do while sitting in the cell.

Han went on alert when he heard a distant noise. He listened intently. They were footsteps and they were growing nearer. He sat up a little straighter. The guard hadn't heard and was still snoring quietly in the corner.

The footsteps stopped when the person reached the bars of Han's cell. He remained sitting, trying to determine who the person was while squinting in the dark.

Her voice was barely a whisper when she spoke.

"Han?"

Relief poured through him. He quickly stood up.

"Leia? Are you alright?"

He searched her face.

"I'm fine, but what about you? Oh, Han, I'm sorry!"

Tears flooded her eyes, but Han reached his arm through the bars and wiped them away.

"It's alright, sweetheart. You had to do it."

Leia looked at him, surprised.

"How did you know?"

He smiled.

"I'm not as dumb as you must think. I knew it was an act, but I needed to make sure they hadn't done anything to you."

"That's why you wanted me to look you in the eyes?"

She returned his smile.

"Once I saw that you were still yourself, I figured it was all part of the plan. How did you get down here anyways?"

They were holding hands through the bars.

"It was very simple, actually. I told them that I was exhausted and needed to sleep before my big day. They were all so concerned with reaching their deadline, they barely put up a fight."

"I'm surprised they weren't guarding your door."

"They were."

"How'd you get past them then?"

Leia smirked.

"There were only two of them, so I yelled from the bathroom and when they came running, I locked them in there and came down here."

"Good woman!"

"Now we need to figure out how to get out of here. Han, I was thinking."

"Yeah?"

"I think we need to get out of here. We should find a ship and fly far away."

He shook his head.

"I appreciate the offer, sweetheart, but I don't think you could ever just turn away from the Alliance. Besides, they're not acting like themselves. We'll fix it."

"How can you say that after all that has happened? It's not fair!"

She was crying openly now, all of the frustrations of the past few days spewing out.

"Because we've dealt with far worse before. Let's just focus on getting me out of this cell first then we can try to meet up with Luke and Chewie."

He gave her a moment to compose herself, holding her as best he could through the bars.

"Ok, hotshot. Let's get you out of here. I'll try to get the key from the guard."

He nodded, but when he looked up at the guard sleeping in the corner, the man was gone. They were both startled when a voice spoke next to them.

"P-princess."

Leia froze.

"Yes?"

"You do love General Solo?"

"Very much so, yes."

"Then what in all hells is going on here? All of the Alliance members are acting crazy, claiming you're about to marry this prince, when the rest of us thought you were with the general. People are scared not knowing what's going on. And the looks in all of their eyes! What's wrong with everyone?"

Leia smiled and Han let out a sigh of relief.

Han spoke first.

"It's good to see that _someone _doesn't hate me."

The guard looked astonished.

"Hate you? You're our hero!"

But then he blushed.

Han was uncomfortable but also a little proud.

Leia rolled her eyes, but smiled.

"Can you help us get out of here then? We'd like to fix the crazy."

"Of course! But uh, could you like, stun me or something? I don't want people thinking I helped you just in case. You know?"

"Yes, but are you sure you want to be stunned?"

Han chimed in.

"It hurts like hell, kid."

"That's ok. I think I can handle it."

He looked doubtful, but determined. He unlocked the door to Han's cell and watched as the pair threw their arms around each other.

Han looked at the guard.

"Thanks, kid. And uh, sorry about this."

The guard went down stunned.

"Han! You didn't give him any warning."

"Best not to let him dwell on it. Let's go!"

* * *

><p>"We're almost there, Chewie. I can feel it."<p>

"Can you sense who it is yet?"

"No, the visions are still unclear, but my feelings are growing stronger. I'm not sure the effect this person's power will have on wookiees, Chewie, but just stay alert."

"You too."

Luke stopped and smiled.

"What is it?"

"Leia got Han out of the cell. I'll tell her to meet us here."

"Is that safe?"

"I think Han will like a shot at whoever is behind all of this, don't you?"

"If the princess doesn't get to him first that is."

Luke laughed quietly.

Just then, a group of security guards swarmed past them.

"Princess out of bed! General has escaped! Everyone be on the lookout. If you find the general, shoot to kill!"

Luke and Chewie stared at each other in panic.

"I have a bad feeling about this."

* * *

><p>Leia was torn between meeting Luke and facing the person who was behind all of this and running out the headquarters' doors. Han walked in front as they both had their blasters drawn. They had decided only to shoot when they absolutely had to, but it was still a difficult decision considering the enemy wasn't really the enemy.<p>

They had pulled over into a corner of a dark hallway when they heard the orders to shoot Han to death. He had slumped against the wall, while Leia's knees buckled against him.

They spoke in a whisper.

"Sweetheart?"

"What?"

"I think you should go on your own."

"What? Why?"

"Cus if someone is gonna get shot, I don't want it to be you. In fact, I won't let it be you."

"And you think I want _you _to be shot? No way."

"If you can get to Luke, you guys can figure things out. I'll go the opposite way and distract them."

Han felt her shake her head against him.

"No. We're not separating again."

"Leia, please."

"No."

"It might be the only way."

"We'll both go."

"They know I've escaped. There are guards everywhere. They'll find us and when they shoot me, if one of their bullets missed-"

His voice caught.

"They're not the brightest people. The guy made me stun him."

She turned around so that she was facing him. She threw her arms around his shoulders and lifted herself up so that she could kiss him. She tasted her own salty tears against his lips. Lingering longer than she should, she pushed her mouth against him a little harder.

"This isn't goodbye," She whispered to him before turning around and creeping out into the hallway.

Han expected her to try and remain conspicuous, but instead, she walked to the center of the hallway and called everyone to her attention.

She was yelling now.

"Excuse me!"

Everyone halted at the voice of the princess.

"Stop! I've just learned that the captive has escaped outside of headquarters grounds and is now heading for the landing tarmac. Everyone is to go there immediately and try to prevent him from leaving."

They looked at one another perplexed, but began to shuffle out, listening to her orders.

"And no one is to shoot anyone!"

As they filed out, Leia pressed herself against one side of the wall. When the last person had exited, Leia turned back to the dark hallway.

"Ready?"

He smiled at her.

"Genius!"

"I know."

They ran to find Luke.

* * *

><p>Luke breathed a sigh of relief. Chewie was getting annoyed that he wasn't able to tell what was going on.<p>

He growled.

"What?"

"Leia derailed them. All of the guards went looking for Han on the tarmac."

Chewie whooped.

"Are they on their way?"

"Yes, but I don't think we should wait any longer."

"Why?"

Luke pointed to the end of the hallway where only one small light shone.

"The person we're looking for is in there."

They crept down the hallway, not making a sound. Luke and Chewie stood on opposite sides of the door.

"Chewie, when I open the door, raise your blaster but don't shoot. We need answers, ok?"

Chewie nodded.

When Luke threw the door open, he found himself standing face to face with someone he thought he had known very well.


	22. Chapter 22

Luke almost dropped the blaster in shock.

"Wedge?"

The man, his friend, turned slowly around.

"Luke?"

"Look at me, Wedge. I need to see your face."

"What took you so long, Luke?"

"I'm sorry, I didn't know you were waiting. But I'm here now. Can you look up at me, buddy?"

He shook his head but didn't say anything. Chewie growled, but it didn't seem to affect Wedge. Luke tried prodding him more.

"Wedge? What's going on?"

He kept his head down as he answered.

"We wait."

"For what?"

"For the others to join us."

* * *

><p>Han and Leia were walking quickly, trying to remain as quiet as possible. They heard footsteps coming towards them, and Han pulled Leia into one of the offices.<p>

Their breathing was ragged, their voices hushed.

"We're lucky this was open."

Leia looked up at Han.

"Let's not question when something actually goes right for us, please?"

He laughed.

"Good point. Where do we go from here?"

"I'm not sure the exact place, but Luke's been showing me how to get to the general direction."

"It still weirds me out that the two of you can connect that way."

She grinned at him.

"Yes, well, I'm just glad it's not your mind I can connect with that way."

"Yeah? Why's that?"

"Because I'm afraid neither of us would ever get anything done."

He smirked.

"You don't need to read my mind to know I'm always thinking about that. I'm just sorry we didn't get any time after getting back here."

"There will be plenty of time for that later, I assure you."

"There better be. When we get out of this, you and me are flying far away from this place and finally getting some alone time."

"Is that a promise?"

She smiled at him, but his face grew serious.

"Leia?"

She felt her heart racing.

"Yes, Han?"

He drew her closer to him.

"I'm gonna marry you."

"That's not exactly a question."

"I wasn't exactly asking…yet. I'm just sayin' it so you know what we have to look forward to when this is all said and done."

She didn't know how to respond. Instead, she leaned against him and listened for any outside noise.

"I think it's clear."

"I think you're right. Still got that read from Luke?"

"Yes."

"Alright. Let's go."

* * *

><p>Luke was trying to get a feel on Wedge, but everything felt cloudy. The man had been standing with his head down for the past few minutes, unmoving.<p>

"Who are we waiting for exactly, Wedge?"

"Can't you tell?"

"Right now, nothing is clear to me. What's happened to you?"

"Patience, Jedi. You'll know everything shortly."

Luke tried talking with Wedge about more personal matters.

"Why Han? I thought he was your friend."

"This isn't about him. He was just in the way."

Chewie growled and went to move towards him, but Luke stopped him.

"In the way of what?"

"It's not for me to explain. It will only be a little longer now."

"Is this about Leia? Do you love her?"

Wedge laughed now.

"Me? No, I don't love her. It's not about love at all."

"Then what-"

"Stop talking."

Wedge's voice remained low, but he spoke with a firm tone.

"They're here."

He walked towards the door.

"No need to wait outside. We've been expecting you."

Outside the door, Leia and Han looked at each other.

Han mouthed to her.

"Wedge?"

She nodded.

Han shrugged before poking his head through the door. Leia followed quickly behind him as they stepped through.

"Long time no see, Han. Leia." He nodded at them.

Han looked at Luke and Chewie.

"Is he, you know, entranced or whatever?"

Luke responded.

"We don't know yet."

"You can't feel it?"

"It's all very fuzzy."

It was Leia who spoke to him.

"Wedge?"

They all turned towards her.

"Wedge, can you look up at me please?

Slowly, he looked up at her. His eyes were blurred. Leia sighed in relief.

"Who did this to you?"

"Just wait a moment, princess. And you'll know everything."

Han decided to interfere.

"Listen, Wedge. I'm getting really tired of everyone shoving off answers. I want to know what's going on here and who's behind it. I get that your mind's been played with, and really, I feel ya. Mine was too. It's not the greatest feeling in the world. But right now, I'm running out of patience. So either figure it out, or I'll shake it out of you."

"Always resorting to violence, aren't we Solo?"

Han groaned.

"I knew you had something to do with it."

"You were right."

He turned towards her. Leia stepped in front of him.

The woman laughed.

"Leia-"

Han started, but the woman interrupted him.

"I gave you a chance. I allowed you to walk away without having to face any pain. The two of you proved much too strong. I didn't think I even had to do much of anything at first. I merely planted the idea of a proposal between the prince and princess, and you jumped at it. A little unsure of yourself after six months, no?"

Han grimaced at her, but didn't say anything. He wanted answers.

"I underestimated her." She pointed at the princess, and Han pulled Leia closer to him protectively.

The woman continued.

"I didn't realize just how strongly she felt for you. I thought that your absence and the arrival of a handsome prince would be enough to sway her mind. She's not all about the rebellion like I originally thought."

Leia looked like she wanted to say something, but refrained.

"When she went after you, I knew I had to take more serious measures. I would have succeeded if it hadn't been for the wookiee. Knowing what I do now, I should have erased all of your memories. At the time, I felt a little bad for you and didn't want you to be completely alone."

"Yeah, thanks."

Han's voice was dripping with disdain.

"Then the pair of you seemed to take to one another again quite quickly. Initially, I thought it was based on your rather interesting reputation, Solo, but I realized I'd have to get over my sympathy for you and take real action. Especially with the Jedi's arrival, I knew you'd soon return to normal, so I helped you to remember me, hoping that you'd seek me out. And you did."

She paused and looked around the room.

"I am not against love, I just believe it's secondary to what is essential."

Han spoke again.

"Which is?"

She said simply, "The good of the people."

Everyone looked confused, except for Wedge who was standing there silently.

"I think it is time I finally revealed myself to you all. I am Ta'a Chume, mother to Isolder and Queen Mother of the Hapan Cluster."

Leia felt sick as recognition kicked in.

"I should have known."

"No matter, princess, I was well disguised. No one thinks twice about an old lady out on the street."

Han looked confused and incredibly angry.

"So you've been doing this so your son can marry Leia."

"Yes. But not because I have any personal vendetta against you. In fact, if it weren't for having to get rid of you, I have to say, I have become quite fond of you."

"Comforting, really."

"But it wasn't because he is some lovesick puppy who cannot win what is not his. It's for the good of the people. Of both Coruscant, the Hapan Cluster, and therefore the rest of the galaxy. A political union of sorts."

She turned to Leia.

"I do believe you would learn to love him."

Leia stared back at her.

Han started in on the Queen.

"Listen, lady, I think I speak for all of us when I say that you're insane. It's one thing to come here and affect my memory, but the entire Alliance? You have to be crazy. And to think you'd get away with it? I mean-"

Leia interrupted.

"What exactly do you plan to do now?"

"If you do not come willingly and marry my son, I will kill him."

She pointed at Han.

"Yeah, ok. Just kill me and-"

"But if I do come willingly?"

"He will be escorted to his ship, with the wookiee, and be ordered to stay far away from Coruscant. No harm done."

Han spoke.

"Unlikely."

Leia continued.

"How can I be sure you would be telling the truth? That they would be safe?"

Han looked at her, surprised.

"The union is all I want. As long as it happens and Solo is out of the picture, as far as I am concerned he can do whatever he wants."

"I hate to break this to you, but I really don't think she's going to go through with this. Right, Leia? Leia?"

Leia stared straight at Ta'a Chume.

"I have your word?"

The woman stared back at her.

"Yes."

Han looked astounded.

"No. I won't leave."

Without looking away from Leia, the woman answered.

"You will, or I will alter your memory again."

"Go ahead-"

"No. He'll go willingly."

"Like hell I will! Leia?"

He stopped when he saw her face.

"You're not considering this?"

"I'll do it."

Han stood there, his expression dumb.

Chewie growled threateningly, while Luke spoke up.

"You don't have to do this, Leia-"

Leia held her hand up to stop him.

"I've agreed. The wedding will be tomorrow?"

"Yes," the older woman said.

Leia nodded.

"I will personally oversee the evacuation of Han and Chewie."

"And I will be there to supervise it."

Leia paused.

"So it's agreed."

Han found his voice.

"No, it's not! I don't agree."

Leia finally turned to look at him. Her face was resigned, but sadness still etched her face.

"I'm afraid that your opinion does not really count here."


	23. Chapter 23

Han stared at Leia with his mouth gaping.

"Uh, sweetheart? Can I talk to you for a second? In private?"

He ushered her to the side. Leia looked resigned and tired.

She sighed.

"Yes?"

"What's the real plan here?"

"You and Chewie will have to leave and I'll-"

Her voice faltered.

"It's the only way."

He looked at her, exasperated.

"What do you mean it's the only way?"

"To keep you alive."

"You know, we could probably just knock her off…"

Leia's voice remained a whisper, but her tone was harsh.

"She is a queen! You cannot just kill her off without asking for even more trouble from everyone else."

"Who the hell cares about 'everyone else'? What about me and you?"

Han spoke the last line softly. He lifted her chin up gently so she would look him in the eye.

"Sweetheart?"

"If it's a choice of keeping you alive or allowing you to die, it's not something I even have to think about."

"I'd rather die than give up!"

"Which is why I am not allowing you to make this sacrifice."

"If you do this, I will never forgive you."

She gave him the slightest of smiles, no trace of humor evident.

"It won't matter. I'll never forgive myself."

She turned away from him to speak with the rest of the group.

"Shall we get this over with then?"

* * *

><p>They walked in silence.<p>

With the Queen Mother and Wedge in front, Leia walked next to Luke, with Chewie and Han behind them. A group of guards surrounded them.

When he was sure the queen was out of earshot, Luke spoke to Leia.

"What exactly are you doing here?"

"I have no choice, Luke. If this is what takes to keep him alive, then this is what I'll have to do."

"We just need time to think-"

She cut him off.

"There is no time. It's over."

"He'll hate you, Leia. We can't just give up."

"Tell me then, if you can come up with anything in the next ten minutes, because frankly I have no ideas. This woman has immense political power, and obvious physical power, seeing as she was able to hypnotize the entire Alliance. You don't even know how to handle her and you're a Jedi. So if the only thing that I can do to keep the person that I am so desperately in love with alive is to marry her son, I'll do it. And I won't regret it."

Luke let her words sunk in. His heart was breaking for his two closest friends and he had no idea how to fix it.

* * *

><p>Han had moved on to the anger stage of his grief.<p>

"Of all of the things- I- Chewie- I am going to _kill _someone!"

Chewie growled.

"Cub, there has to be some way to convince her. This woman can't be all powerful."

"What the hell am I supposed to do at this point? Leia has her determined face on. If I thought she'd be content running away the rest of our lives, then trust me, I'd drag her into the ship and fly away, but-"

He looked down and then back up at Chewie.

"I love her too damn much. That was my first mistake, Chewie. We should have just left when we could have. Actually, now that I think about it, we never should have flown Luke and the old man. None of this crap would have happened."

"You don't mean that."

"Like hell I don't."

He shook his head.

"Fine, Chewie. We'll leave. But if she thinks I'm gonna feel bad for her about this, well it's her own damn fault, and- And besides, she seems like she's making the most out of all this, doesn't she? Marrying a prince, staying here, all of our friends are still here. Maybe she even was part of all of this. Didn't know how to tell me she wanted to marry the prince. This way, she doesn't look like the bad guy."

Chewie spoke with resound sadness and sympathy.

"You know that's not true."

"What does it matter? I lose her either way."

Chewie didn't know what to say.

* * *

><p>When they reached the ship, there was an awkward air of silence. During the few minutes they had been walking, Han felt a renewed stubbornness towards the situation. If this was going to happen, he wasn't going to mope about it. He had too much pride.<p>

Han broke the silence.

"Well, kid. I guess this is it."

He walked up to Luke and shook his hand. Luke looked startled.

"Yeah, I guess. I'm sorry, Han."

Han smiled at him slightly.

"Not your fault, kid."

He turned.

"Well uh, bye Wedge."

The man continued to stare into what appeared like nothingness.

Han continued.

"Ok then." He glanced around. His eyes stopped at Leia. They seemed to search her soul.

"Come on, Chewie."

He turned to walk up the ramp with his co-pilot growling softly behind him.

Luke tried to reach for Leia's hand, but she pushed it away. She refused to be comforted for this.

"Han!"

He turned to look at her. Her heart was racing. She wanted to tell him everything. The way he made her feel, how sorry she was to have it all end like this, goodbye. But the words wouldn't come. There was nothing that could be said to make it right.

He nodded at her. His expression still stony.

"Princess."

He continued his way up the ramp. Leia didn't move as the ramp closed and the engine began to run. She didn't move as the ship lifted off the ground and disappeared into the atmosphere. She stood as everyone waited in silence for what seemed like forever, staring into the sky.

She closed her eyes, took a deep breath, then turned to the rest of them.

"Well that's that."

She led the way back to headquarters.

* * *

><p>Han sat slumped in his chair. He was staring into the sky in front of him. He didn't know what he was looking for exactly, maybe the rest of his life.<p>

He sighed out of frustration. He never wanted to have his life chosen for him. Especially like this. He was supposed to marry her, have kids with her. A normal life. And he had never wanted that in his life before.

He laughed out loud. It figured. The moment he wanted it, was the moment he lost it.

Chewie walked into the cockpit.

"Are you alright, cub?"

"Sure. You know me, Chewie. I'll be fine. I can adapt to anything really."

He was trying to act as casual as possible.

"It's ok to be sad."

"If I thought it would do any good then maybe I would be. I'm not gonna spend the rest of my life mourning our relationship."

He wished he felt as confident as he sounded. But Chewie knew him better than that. He patted Han on the head as Han headed to his cabin.

"It's not over yet, cub. You'll see."

* * *

><p>Han stood looking into his cabin. <em>Their <em>cabin.

He couldn't believe it. After all this time and everything they had been through together. This was how it ended.

Looking towards the bed, he saw the still crinkled sheets and his heart ached. He thought of their reunion only a day before. In that moment, he felt like everything was finally going to be alright. As long as they were together, he wa_s _fine.

Shaking his head, he walked to go into the 'fresher when the ring he had bought for Leia sparkled in the corner of his eye. He picked it up and held it in his hand. He stared at it for what seemed like forever until he sighed and shoved it into his pocket. He briefly thought of pawning it off at the nearest spaceport he could think of, but he knew he would never be able to get rid of it. He would keep it with him as a reminder of all that he almost had, but lost. What was taken from him.

After a few minutes in the 'fresher, Han laid down on his bed. Thoughts of Leia plagued his mind as he willed sleep to take him.

* * *

><p>Leia couldn't sleep. She had laid in bed for the few hours she had, rolling around trying to get comfortable. Trying to ease her ailing heart.<p>

He hadn't even said goodbye.

She knew that she really shouldn't have expected one. But her hands were tied too. It was only to save him, otherwise she never would have agreed to it. Now she regretted not having kissed him one last time. His last memory of her would be the cold look upon her face as she tried not to collapse. She would never forget his expression. Beyond the stony exterior had been a look of intense sadness and longing. He could pretend all he wanted, but she knew that he was just as heartbroken. That made her pain worse.

She never wanted to get out of bed, never mind walk down the aisle in front of a mass amount of people towards a man she didn't love. Who she would never love.

When the Queen Mother had come to personally wake her, Leia knew the woman still didn't trust her. Leia stayed silent and obedient as a group of excitable women dressed her into a beautiful gown, put more make-up on her than she had ever worn, and threw her hair up in a magnificent braid.

They stood her in front of the mirror and Leia stared at herself. She knew she looked beautiful, except her eyes were dark and haunted. She choked down a sob.

She would not cry.

Turning to the queen, Leia spoke calmly.

"If I am to do this, I have one condition."

"Which is?"

"For you to remove whatever spell you have seemed to cast upon the Alliance. I will remain silent about what has happened, so long as nothing happens to Han and Chewie. Is that clear?"

"As you wish, princess. By the time you walk down the aisle, the spell will be lifted."

Leia nodded.

"Where is Luke?"

"Ah, yes. Your brother has informed me that he'd rather not walk you down the aisle towards my son. He does not approve it seems."

Leia didn't say anything.

"Would you like General Rieeken to walk you down the aisle? You seem rather fond of him."

"Yes, that would be nice."

The queen went to turn around, but stopped.

"I am very sorry about all of this, but it had to be done. I think Isolder will be rather pleased when he finds out. He is quite fond of you."

She left the room. Leia remained staring in front of the mirror. She felt awful.

It had been a few minutes later when Rieeken entered.

"Leia?"

She looked up at him. His eyes were now clear.

"What's going on here?"

"It appears that I am getting married."

"To Isolder?"

"Yes."

"But…why? Where's Han?"

"I'm afraid I don't know."

She smiled sadly before speaking.

"Ready?"

The man did not know what to say.


	24. Chapter 24

Leia stood in front of the large doors. She was shaking and felt like she couldn't breathe properly. When she was younger, she had envisioned this moment. She pictured the beautiful dress, the large crowd, and shimmering tiara. In her fantasies, the groom had always been a handsome prince, but when she realized that those dreams were now reality, she felt anything but vindicated.

She felt broken.

She took a deep breath and prayed that by some miracle, Han would run in and stop everything. When the music began, Rieeken glanced at her, a sad smile upon his face.

"Ready?"

The doors opened and the pair walked in unison.

* * *

><p>"Chewie? Chewie pick up! It's Luke."<p>

"What is it? What's wrong?"

"I think I figured it out, Chewie. I know how she did it! It just took me a little too long. I know that it might take the two of you awhile to get back here, but I think I can stop the wedding."

"How?"

"No time to explain just please hurry! I can't believe I forgot about this!"

"Luke, how much security is on the tarmac right now?"

"Not a lot. Most people are at the wedding. Why?"

"Because I'm about to land."

"How'd you get her back so quickly?"

"When cub fell asleep, I turned the ship around. We're not going down without a fight."

Luke smiled.

"Nice work, Chewie. I'll meet you there in a few minutes."

* * *

><p>Leia had no idea how long it took her to walk down the aisle, but it felt like forever. She had her head down, hoping without hope that when she looked up the face that smiled back at her would be Han's.<p>

It wasn't.

Isolder was standing tall, beaming at her. As she walked closer, she noticed that his eyes were no longer hazy. Glancing around the area, she realized that none of them seemed to be under the spell anymore. Most looked confused. Those closest to her looked anguished.

She had been informed that the wedding was being televised. Practically the entire galaxy was watching. She reached Isolder and he held his hand out to her. She went to take it, but Rieeken held her back.

"Leia, are you sure?"

She looked back at him.

"I don't have a choice."

She turned back to Isolder and confusion laced his eyes.

He asked her, "What changed your mind, princess?"

She stared at him. Deciding to be honest, she spoke coldly.

"Your mother."

* * *

><p>Chewie yelled to Han from the cockpit.<p>

"Cub! Cub, come here! Immediately!"

When Han raced from his cabin, he had his blaster drawn and his hair was a mess.

"What's the matter?"

"We need to leave."

"What? Leave to go where? We're in the air!"

"Actually, we're not."

"And where are we?"

Chewie spoke simply.

"Coruscant."

"Excuse me?"

He shrugged his shoulders.

"When you fell asleep I took us back here."

"Why did you do that?"

"I believe you have a wedding to stop."

Han looked confused.

"I thought we didn't have a plan."

"We do now. Let's go."

Han needed a moment to process things, he was still in sleep mode, but Chewie pushed him out the door.

"Move!"

They started to run.

* * *

><p>Luke had been sure all the guards were distracted. He walked into the control tower for the tarmac Han and Chewie were to land on and sent the man home. Most of the guards were invested in the wedding anyways. No one suspected a thing.<p>

He raced down to meet Han and Chewie.

"Ready?"

Han looked annoyed.

"What's the plan exactly?"

"You're going to stop the wedding. I'll do the rest."

"And how do I know they won't shoot me?"

"Well, we don't. But they don't have the spell on them anymore. And I know how to stop her now."

Han still seemed unconvinced.

"How?"

"I finally connected with R2. He's been here all along. I can't believe I forgot about him!"

"So what are you gonna do?"

"Don't worry about it. You just focus on Leia. Alright?"

"Yeah. Sure, kid."

He seemed hesitant.

"Are you-" he cleared his throat. "Are you sure she's gonna want us to, you know, interrupt the wedding?"

"Without a doubt."

That was all Han needed to hear.

* * *

><p>Isolder spoke with a smile on his face, but his tone was questioning.<p>

"What do you mean my mother? What did she do?"

"She threatened to kill Han if I didn't marry you. This was after she erased his memory and tampered with the minds of the entire Alliance, yourself included."

She smiled largely, but sarcastically at him. They both turned to look at the queen. She smiled at them expectantly.

"Why would she do this?"

"For the good of the people."

"And you went along with it?"

"I wasn't going to let her hurt Han. Not anymore."

"So you're doing this for him?"

"Only for him."

"Then I cannot go through with this."

"Do you have any way around her because I'm out of ideas-"

"Ahem."

The minister spoke.

"If the two of you are ready?"

Leia and Isolder looked at one another, uncertain.

* * *

><p>When they got to headquarters, they kneeled down by the stairs.<p>

Han questioned.

"So we just, uh, walk in?"

"Yes."

"Great plan. So when I'm shot to death what are the two of you gonna do?"

Luke looked at him, exasperated.

"You won't be shot."

"How are you so sure?"

Luke rolled his eyes.

"I told you. They're not possessed any more. No one wants to kill the famous Han Solo. Besides, I think she was way too trusting of you to leave."

Han looked doubtful, but took a deep breath and stood up.

"Alright, ready?"

Chewie and Luke looked at each other.

"Oh we're not going in there, yet."

"What? Why not?"

Chewie shrugged before answering.

"We have something else to do."

"Great." Han spoke sarcastically.

He glanced at the doors before going in.

* * *

><p>"I cannot do this."<p>

Isolder spoke to the crowd, but looked directly at his mother. She stood up in shock.

"What? Why not?"

"We are not in love."

"But-" She paused before realization hit her. "You told him!"

"I thought he deserved to know, yes."

The queen looked outraged.

"I did not go through all of this just to be stopped by my own son. You will obey me."

Isolder looked hesitant and didn't answer.

"I won't marry him."

Leia was defiant.

"You will or Solo will be killed."

"He's far gone from here. You won't find him."

"I found him before."

"Only after messing with his ship and forcing it to land where you wanted it."

The queen was losing her temper.

"I will not rest until he is destroyed."

A voice spoke from behind them.

"Good luck with that."

When Leia turned, she was shocked to find Han standing there at the end of the aisle.

He smiled at her.

"No," she whispered to herself and now looked very afraid. "What are you doing here? You need to go back!"

Rather than respond, he ran towards her. The queen smiled.

"Stubborn to the last, Solo. Guards, kill him!"

The crowd began to scream. Alliance members stood up, just now realizing what had happened. Only the Hapan guards had their guns trained on Han.

Mon Mothma's voice stood out from the crowd.

"No one is to shoot anyone. Especially not until I find out what has been going on here!"

Han had stopped when the guards aimed at him, but he smiled at Leia, trying to reassure her. She looked miserable.

He called to her.

"Hiya, sweetheart."

She glared at him.

"You shouldn't have come back."

"And why not?"

"You were safe away from here."

He smirked.

"Being safe's overrated, sweetheart. Plus, I didn't want to miss all the fun. Mothma will sort it out now that she's, er, awakened."

"She can just as easily recast the spell."

"Nah, Luke knows what he's doing now."

"Which is?"

"I'm not sure."

She didn't return his smile.

Rather than shoot him, one of the guards went up to Han and handcuffed him. He obliged, but only because he knew he didn't have a way around it.

Mon Mothma continued.

"If everyone would _please _calm down, I will need to speak to the Queen Mother, Prince Isolder, the princess, and General Solo in my chambers, immediately."

As an afterthought she added, "Rieeken, you should probably come too."

The crowed parted, but were still rumbling with anxiety and speculation.

When the group entered the office, Mon had everyone sit down before she continued.

"Now will someone please tell me what's going on?"

There was a moment's pause before Leia took a deep breath and told her everything. Mon remained quiet until she was sure Leia had finished.

Mon took a deep breath, her brow creased in thought. She looked towards the queen.

"I believe the first question that must be addressed is how you were able to manage such a feat, your majesty. I never knew you to have," she paused, "such powers."

The queen did not speak.

"And therefore, we must know how to prevent it from happening again."

It was clear how angry Mon was, but she was remaining as calm as possible.

There was a knock at the door and they all turned to look.

Luke and Chewie were standing with R2 next to them.

Mon spoke.

"Yes?"

Luke looked like a shy school-boy called on in class, but answered confidently.

"I know what happened."

Mon was quickly losing her patience.

"Please enlighten us."

Luke paused before explaining.

"It's not her who's powerful. It's something that she has. And unluckily for us, while it doesn't affect Jedi minds in the same way, it still has side effects."

They stared at him.

"It was R2 who figured it out in the first place. I can't even imagine what would have happened if it wasn't for him but-"

"Luke!"

It was Leia who interrupted him.

"Can you please just get to the point?"

"Right, sorry. Uh, your majesty? Would you like to hand it over or will we have to take it from you forcefully?"

The queen remained silent, but Isolder looked humiliated.

He spoke.

"I'll get it for you. It was me who gave it to her in the first place. I never imagined she would have used it for such- atrocities- but now I know she can't be trusted. Mother, please?"

She looked at him, and with disdain, pulled a very small stone out of her pocket.

Han looked at it indignant.

"You have to be kidding me! That thing? I can barely see it!"

Mon Mothma picked it up and examined it.

"What is it?"

Isolder blushed before speaking.

"I'm not sure exactly, but it gives magical powers to the one who possesses it. It was a gift, but I felt as though I had no need for it, so I gave it to my mother who has always been interested in the magical arts."

Mon rolled it over in her hand, while Han tried to get a closer look at it.

"It will be destroyed immediately. And now, we must think of what to do with you."

She looked at the queen thoughtfully. Han was still trying to look at the stone, causing Mon to turn her attention to him.

"General Solo?"

He was beyond annoyed at this point.

"Yeah?"

Mon truly looked saddened.

"You are exonerated. I am truly sorry for the sorrow this must have caused you."

He stood up and looked around the room.

"At least someone finally sympathizes. Now if you'll excuse me. I'd like to go home."

He turned and left the room without looking back.


	25. Chapter 25

Leia did not know how to react. She couldn't believe that all of the trouble that had been caused these past few days had been singled down to that small stone that now lay next to Mon. If she hadn't been so tired and frustrated, she would have laughed.

And now Han had left without her.

She hadn't had time to think about what their reunion would be like, but she didn't think he would just leave. After all they had been through, she thought he would at least wait for her.

"Excuse me, Mon?"

She had startled the older woman from thought.

"Yes, Leia?"

"If it's alright with you, I think I would like to leave as well."

"Yes, of course. I'm sure you would like to get out of that wedding dress as well. That is, unless you wanted the wedding to continue?"

Leia shook her head adamantly.

"Absolutely not."

Mon smiled.

"Then please have a good night. And again, I apologize to you as well."

Leia returned the smile, but had nothing to say. She knew it hadn't been her fault, but at the moment, she wasn't ready to accept anyone's apology. She just hoped Han was.

"Leia?"

She smiled at him.

"Thanks, Luke."

"Do you want me to come with you?"

"No, it's alright. I need to speak to Han alone."

"Princess?"

It was Isolder. She turned to face him.

"Yes?"

"I am sorry. I never intended it to be like this. Maybe we could be friends, diplomatically of course."

She gave him a look that told him that it was the last thing on her mind, but she responded with a tight smile.

"Maybe."

With that, she turned and left the room.

* * *

><p>As tired as she was, she knew she had to find Han. She was so caught up in her thoughts that she wasn't looking where she was going and slammed into something solid.<p>

"Ooh. I'm sorry, I-"

She looked up.

"Han?"

"Hi."

His face was serious.

"You didn't leave."

"Nah. There wasn't anything to go home to."

She smiled slightly.

"I-"

He interrupted her.

"Why don't we go and talk back at the apartment?"

She looked slightly disconcerted, but nodded.

"Alright."

They were quiet on the way home. There was a lot to be said and Leia didn't know where to begin. She just hoped that he knew that every choice she had made was to keep him alive. He hadn't been so understanding at the time, sure, but now they were together, maybe he'd be a bit more accepting.

Her stomach was bubbling with anticipation.

When they reached the apartment, Han had to wait for her to unlock it.

"Is that why you waited? You couldn't get in?"

It was an attempt at lightening the mood, but he merely grumbled in response.

When Han stepped in, he paused to take a good look around. It felt like home, but it was still so foreign to him. It was only a few hours ago when he thought he would never be here again. Or be with her again.

Leia looked at him anxiously. She didn't like feeling this way around him. She knew he would be upset, but she just wished he would yell and let it all out now.

"Han?"

"Yes, sweetheart?"

He looked at her. He seemed as tired as she felt.

"I'm sorry."

He stared at her.

"I'm sorry that this happened to you. To us. I'm sorry that I didn't know how to fix it and that I sent you away. But it wasn't because I wanted you gone. I- I just needed to know that you were going to be ok, and I couldn't figure out how to do that otherwise."

She took a deep breath and waited to see if he would respond. He didn't.

"How do you want to move on from this? I know you're probably angry as anything, but you just standing there isn't helping matters. Now if we could please just discuss this like two adults, I-"

"I forgive you."

She stopped.

"What?"

He smiled slightly.

"I said I forgive you."

"Just like that?"

"Yup."

She looked indignant.

"But-"

"I forgive you, this time. But I swear, if you try to send me away and marry another prince, I won't let it go. And if your Alliance pulls anything like this again, I'm out of here. And I'm taking you with me. Is that clear?"

She eyed him suspiciously.

"Are you serious?"

"About what?"

"Totally and completely forgiving me."

"Wouldn't say it if I didn't."

"Then how come you made me wait until we took the excruciatingly long journey home to tell me all of this?"

"First of all, sweetheart, it wasn't even all that long. And secondly, because I knew I had to wait to do this."

"Do what?"

He walked closer to her, stopping when he was only inches away from her, but still not touching.

"This," he whispered.

He edged his head slowly towards her. Her mouth opened expectantly.

He leaned further towards her, but spoke.

"Did you miss me while I was away?"

She smiled seductively at him.

"I don't know. It was only a few hours."

"Mm, sure, but you didn't think I was coming back."

"That is quite true."

"What do you say we officially reunite in the apartment?"

He wiggled his eyebrows at her suggestively.

"Hmm."

She pretended to think.

"It's actually been quite the few long days and I'm tired. I think I would like to reunite with my bed."

"With your bed or _in _your bed?"

He smirked.

"I don't know. The bed's got soft pillows and warm blankets and the promise of a nice, long rest. What do you got?"

He growled at her.

"I could tell you, but I think I'd rather show you."

With that he lifted her off the ground and carried her into their bedroom.

"Han! Put me down!"

"As you wish, Your Highness."

He dropped her on the bed.

She sat up and glared at him.

"You could have been a little nicer with that."

He grinned.

"Oh, I don't plan on being nice."

She returned his smile, but then got lost in thought.

"What do you think will happen to the queen?"

She had blurted it out before she could stop herself. Han looked confused.

"So long as she's kept far away from that stone, I really don't give a damn. Could you focus on me now, please?"

She laughed.

"I'm sorry. My curiosity just got the best of me."

He frowned.

"Always the diplomat."

"I was only thinking of you."

"Then or now?"

"Always."

He sat down next to her.

"What are you thinking about right now?"

"My bed." She paused to watch him frown again.

"And how it will feel against my back as you're on top of me."

His eyes widened as he smiled.

"Naughty princess."

She stood up and turned away from him.

"Undo my dress."

He stood up.

"As you wish."

He unzipped it and she stepped out of it, tossing it to the side unceremoniously.

He laughed, but then she took him by the hand and pulled him down on top of her. She pulled his vest off, his shirt soon after, and went to work his belt.

He whispered to her.

"Aren't you going to kiss me?"

"Maybe in a minute. Stand up for a second."

He did as he was told and she unzipped his pants. When she pulled them off of him, something small fell out of the pocket.

He tried to get it, but she picked it up before him. She held the ring in her hand so that both of them could see.

"Han?"

"Yeah?"

She smirked.

"I'm gonna marry you."

He raised his eyebrows.

"Are you asking my question?"

"Well, are you ever going to ask?"

"Maybe." He paused as though thinking. "Eventually."

"You better ask me soon. Apparently I'm in high demand."

He laughed and then laid back down on the bed.

"Leia?"

"Yes?" Her voice was a whisper.

He leaned into her and kissed her. Sweet and slow, his tongue traced her lips before entering her mouth. She moaned at the contact and pulled him closer. He played with her bra strap that had made its way down her shoulder and tugged on it.

Unsnapping it, he took it off and tossed it behind his shoulder. He expertly slid off her underwear, never breaking the kiss.

As his mouth made its way to her neck, he whispered in her ear.

"You know, there's something extra sexy about this, when I think about how it was meant for another man."

She flinched.

"It never would have gotten that far."

"Even if you were married?"

"I couldn't have done it."

She reached for his boxers and pulled them off.

She spoke, "The essence of a political union I suppose."

He laughed and then asked her, "How long would you have lasted without me?"

"I can be very patient. You on the other hand-"

She smiled when she felt his arousal as he moved between her legs.

"Oh I can be very patient, sweetheart. I just choose not to."

He kissed her again. Long and hard.

"Leia?"

"Uh huh?" She was trembling with desire.

He spoke just below her ear, so his breath was against her throat. His voice was a whisper.

"Will you marry me?"

She froze and looked at him, searching his eyes.

"Are you serious?"

He gazed at her intently.

"Indubitably."

She matched his stare before answering.

"Then yes."

He smiled before kissing her once more.


End file.
